Post-Mardi Gras party....

Since my child psych class just would not stream well here in my local St. Louis Bread Company, me voila!

I'm feeling pretty good today after we took our son Bubba (not his real name) to one great Mardi Gras party in the Shaw neighborhood yesterday. Dad's friend Jeff, and his wife, Rachel, always throw a monster Mardi Gras party with every kind of food you can imagine --gumbo, grilled and smoked meats, a cajun boil, red beans and rice, and of course, a real King cake and hurricanes.

Dad, being the chief chef over anything that gets made in a large stock pot, presided over his own monster load of jambalaya. I played the scullery maid, and stayed out of the way while chopping vegetables and monitoring the dirty dishes. The jambalaya was a big hit.

Jeff and Rachel have four kids, so Bubba (not his real name) just gets in the door, drops his coat and takes off to the upstairs with the other kids and plays to his heart's delight. Last night, he was a light-saber warrior and wild man on the pink three-wheeler Tess, the youngest, left in the living room.

I vegged and enjoyed the food and hospitality. Dad listened to music as Jeff played DJ in the front room. Hopefully, Dad keeps Jeff out of trouble with the new speakers he brought over. (We had a spare set of Klipsch Heresies at our house.)

No one complained this year that the music was too loud. With the New Orleans style music, you could have closed your eyes and felt like you were there.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

It's that time of year again and here in St. Louis, the banners are up. The green, gold and purple are appearing on doors, buildings and banners everywhere as I drive through the Soulard neighborhood on my way to work.

If you're a tourist in St. Louis, the Mardi Gras weekends in Soulard is something you don't want to miss. While statistics can be deceiving, St. Louis has one of the more festive Mardi Gras celebrations outside of New Orleans. It really makes sense. You just NEED something to celebrate in the dead of winter, because Lent sure makes winter seem really LONG, even if you don't participate in an organized religion.

Last weekend, the fun started with the annual Krewe of Barkus pet parade. This is always a fun event and has the famous Wiener Dog races for all the dachshund owners. With the matching costumes for pets and their owners, you sometimes wonder who's having more fun, the pets or the people.

The big parade happens the weekend before Mardi Gras (this Saturday, February 25) and has gotten so big with corporate sponsors that it now starts downtown (near Busch Stadium) and makes it's way south to Soulard. There's always a float competition, so it can get interesting. One year, when I participated with my husband and the MG Club of St. Louis, a van caught on fire, just past the reviewing stand. One of the judges, a local radio host, gave the float points for pyrotechnics even though it was unintentional. Luckily, for everyone, the fire house was nearby and the van was soon extinguished.

So besides that, what would you want to do during St. Louis Mardi Gras, you ask? Check out http://www.mardigrasinc.com/ then see the sights. Soulard is known for its great restaurants, bars and Soulard Market, one of the oldest farmers markets in the Midwest. Go down Geyer (street just north of St. Peter & Paul's church) and pick a place. You could eat at Norton's, have a drink at 1860s Hard Shell Café and see a blues band at the Great Grizzly Bear.

Change your mind? Turn another way and you'll run into another bar or two. Head south to Russell, and check out the Irish music at McGurk's (http://www.mcgurks.com/), if you need a change of pace, or Joanie's (http://www.joaniespizzeria.com/) for pizza. If that's not enough for you, check out Dining St. Louis for more Soulard restaurant information. (http://www.diningstl.com/Soulard.htm)

Got the shopping bug and need some cool stuff? Head over to the Porch (http://www.soulardporch.com) and find lots of original goodies, including beads and boas, and buy a bottle of wine while you're at it.

For more information on the City of St. Louis and fun festivals like Soulard Mardi Gras, see the Community Information Network (http://stlouis.missouri.org)

a hungry blogger....

...somehow ate my Super Duper Party article. It must have been those blogger gremlins.

Anyway, as I'm posting this, I am multitasking--eating my lunch and doing some work testing. Luckily, the test worked. I can only hope the user will be able to say it did later!

I'm working on a couple of articles to post soon, so come back again.

Welcome back to the future: My iPod and me

Was it just me or did you notice some of those 80s-early 90s songs used in the Super Bowl commercials? The one that sticks out with me was the Cyndi Lauper tune "True Colors" in the Dove ad.

Well, I perused my iPod lately, and boy, do I have a few 80s tunes. From Culture Club to the Bangles to the Eurythmics, I've got a large chunk of 80s music taking up space.

I'm a tech person, so when I'm not at work, I try not to do much techy stuff. Inevitably, though, I find some toy, like my iPod mini, and that credo goes straight out the window. I was a relatively late adopter, because I am just a tightwad. I hate dropping money on something that will quickly be a nice paperweight. I bought a cheap MP3 player, liked it, and thought an iPod mini would be perfect for me. One of my friends discussed buying one, so I told him, I'd get one and he could check it out.

Of course, after I made this decision, Apple decided to discontinue the mini in favor of the new Nano. After several stress-filled attempts to get a used mini on eBay, I finally bucked up, went to www.auctionsniper.com and bid on two minis to hedge my bets. Luckily, I only won one (a silver one). As soon as it arrived, I loaded iTunes and filled it up with every CD I could snatch from my husband's thousands in the basement. Hubby is a veteran of the pawn shop searches (he's on a first name basis at some), Goodwill and garage sales, so it was really hard picking out what I'd want to have among the 4GB of music I could put on my mini.

First, I had to pick out a lot of the tunes I've liked for a long time. My criteria: 1) will it sound good in the car at highway speed? and 2) will I have a nice mix of fast, slow, dance and instrumental.

So far, it's a nice mix. I really like the Playlist feature. The only problem I have is that I can't scroll fast enough and drive sometimes. To be safe while driving, don't change playlists while moving! You and your car will appreciate it. For car connection, I use a cheap adapter (through the cassette deck) and it works well. I did not get the wireless radio version because I didn't want to hassle with searching for some odd numbered FM station.

Finally, as recently mentioned in a few articles, don't crank your music too loud through your earbuds. You never know when you'll need that hearing to pick up the first two notes of your favorite song. Lunch break is now over, so "don't say I do, (I'm saying) bye bye bye". (from Kiss the Bride by Elton John) away in iPod land I go.

A blast from the past, job hunting tips

Do you need to get in touch with your 80s side? Check out inthe80s.com.
Kudos for my co-worker PK for this one. You're the best, man. ;->

Are you in the job market? This article today speaks volumes about how important that in-person interview really is to you getting that job. Sometimes you just know when things click, and sometimes you don't. Read this article to learn how to hedge your bets and be prepared.

Another one of my favorite career-oriented sites is careerjournal.com. This offshoot of the Wall Street Journal has some very timely topics on work and family as well as advancing yourself without driving everyone crazy.

Super duper Sunday

Happy Friday everyone! It's really hard to work after a wonderful Afghan lunch on South Grand today with my husband.

Yes, it's that time of year again, when we all look forward to the latest ads for the Super Bowl. US Today has a great article today about what makes a good one. Not that long ago, I actually worked for a company where we got to watch the company's commercials before Super Sunday. (That was one of the best perks because I didn't have to sit and pay attention on game day, since I don't have Tivo).

So how do you get a Super Party up and running at a moment's notice? Well, it's helpful if you know your audience. Since I am lucky enough to have space, I keep one fridge stocked with drinks, from juice and boxed chocolate milk for the kids to beer and wine for the grownups. If you don't have the space, get out your cooler, or pick up some of the cheap styrofoam ones and ice your drinks before the party. Beer and soda normally are cold in about two hours. If it's cold in your area, just keep your beverages outside for a while on a patio or balcony.

I like to keep paper plates, bowls (must be sturdy, not the super cheap thin paper ones) and plastic cups on hand, too, for this purpose. If you don't want to spend the money, use the cups and glasses you already have. The advantage is that you have less dishes to wash and no one will break a family heirloom when they jump up to scream at the ref for a bad call.

For snacks, my rule is "if I won't eat it later, I'm not buying it". I buy basics and go from there. My Super Duper shopping list would include:

--chips (tortilla and ridged potato)
--salsa (mild and really hot)
--cheeses (cheddar, colby, jack, swiss are all good)
--assorted crackers (wheat, Triscuit, etc.)

Also, if you know your audience, you know who will and who won't eat certain things. If you're not sure, ask. There's no sense in wasting your money on items no one likes. Other goodies that go well are popcorn (plain and flavored), pretzels and snack crackers like Ritz or Cheez-Its.

In case you haven't noticed from a lot of the food promotions lately, chili and hot dips are also popular items. Chili is a fun, easy way to mix things up at your party. You can make your basic chili (not too hot) and add side items like shredded cheese, chopped onions, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oyster crackers and jalapenos and everyone can dress up the chili as they see fit.

Here's a quick chili recipe for your Super Duper party.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. lean ground beef (such as ground round)
1 chopped onion, medium to large
6 cans (15-16oz) Brooks Chili Hot Beans (or other brand chili beans)
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes or plain chopped tomatoes for chili
additional chili powder to taste

Equipment:

skillet, large stockpot (6-8 qt or above) or crockpot, knives, spoons

Procedure:

Heat skillet and saute onion.
When onion is cooked, add raw ground beef.
Break up meat and brown until no longer pink.
Drain any grease from meat.
Add meat and onion to large pot or crockpot and mix in tomato soup, chili beans and tomatoes.
Simmer slowly for 2 hours on medium heat stirring frequently or add to crockpot and set to high, also stirring regularly.

When chili bubbles, get a small bowl and add a couple of spoons of chili from the pot. This is your seasoning check. If you need a little more chili powder, add it to your large pot now. Repeat your taste test to verify spicing.

REMEMBER: you can always add more spice, but it's hard to take it out.

Ideally, you do not want to overboil your chili. If it starts boiling, turn the temperature down.

Serving:

Serve with any of the above add-ons to make the chili you always wanted -- hot, spicy, cheesy or crunchy.

Relax and enjoy your chili with a nice, cold beverage of your choice as you watch your team go on to glory (or infamy).

NOTE: It's really great when you remember to publish your drafts. ;->

A great dessert recipe

Winter is a season where I like to bake. I don't feel guilty about heating up the house to work on cakes, as I do in the summer.

Recently, I made an old family favorite for my great uncle's birthday. It is an old Imperial pound cake recipe. I'm not absolutely certain how it got into the family recipe box, however, my grandmother Loretta Summers and her best friend Mary Nelson made this recipe a lot. My mother, Dorothy Berding, improved its delivery and moistness by coating with powdered sugar when hot and immediately wrapping in heavy duty foil, which creates a crunchy, sweet topping. No icing is needed.

Tips:

While there is no anecdotal evidence that I can find that says you can't make a pound cake without one, I use a stand mixer (my mom's late 50s-early 60s Sunbeam Mixmaster) for this. My mother and grandmother wouldn't make a pound cake without one!

I also beat the batter for what may seem like a long time to some folks. My real criteria for completion is that the batter have a rich, thick, creamy smoothness that sticks well to the spatula.

Imperial pound cake

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1 pound Imperial margarine sticks*
3-5 cups Swans' Down cake flour, sifted ^
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Additional sifted powdered sugar for topping (about 1 cup)

*Note: Do not use whipped tub margarine as water or other ingredients are added to make it smoother.
^ Any other brand of cake flour can also be used if Swans' Down is not available.

Equipment required:

1 tube cake pan, well greased with shortening
Mixer, bowl, spatula, butter knife

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Let the margarine soften before you cut the quarters and add these to the bowl of your mixer.
Add your eggs and mix slowly until margarine is creamed.
Slowly mix in your pound of powdered sugar. Mixture will become smoother.
When sugar is all mixed in, add sifted cake flour and vanilla.
Mix well until all ingredients are mixed well and batter has a creamy, fluffy consistency.
Add batter to well-greased tube pan.

Baking:

Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes at 350.
Cake is done when cake springs back when touched lightly and inserted toothpick comes out clean.

When baking is complete, take a butter knife between the pan and outer edges, as well as the inner tube, and gently loosen.

Flip cake onto heat-safe plate.
Sift powdered sugar on top.
Wrap tightly with aluminum foil and allow to cool before eating.

This cake keeps really well and also freezes nicely.

Serving:

Serve alone with coffee, tea or other drinks.
It is also a great base for strawberry shortcake (add strawberries and whipped cream) or a trifle.

Another toy...

Well, my e-mail post is coming over via carrier pigeon, so here's a little something amusing in case you're looking for an early weekend.

A toy to play with while you wait

One of my coworkers sent this one to me today.

Welcome chez Colleen

Hello all! Welcome to my other home on the internet.

It's been a while, but I've decided to resurrect this blog, since I didn't really mean to delete it in the first place. I just ran out of time and my fingers ran away from me.

Well, since this is like my own non-internet home, just sit down on the couches and make yourself at home. I'll be cooking up something new shortly...