And this is my life....

At least, according to my husband, who claims I am obsessed with blogging and fish fries.

Nevertheless, I'm enjoying my vacation blogging, going to fish fries and reading goodies on the internet, in addition to the behind the scenes work of running a household--such as cooking, making beds and doing the laundry. Ahh, the excitement seeps into my life here and there, and ultimately, vacation is a fun thing to do. I recommend it highly throughout the year.

Here are a few interesting things I've encountered around town and on the internet recently.

Star Trek Fans 'Getting their Kirk On' from www.nytimes.com
All I have to worry about is stereo equipment, thankfully, this chair will never grace my living room.

Young and old are facing off for jobs (also www.nytimes.com)
I'm having deja vu all over again reading this article, but thankfully, I have not graduated recently. I'm just crossing my fingers that all those old nurses don't try to come and get their jobs back on my unit!

Richardson saw doctors hours after fall (www.nytimes.com)
They call the first hour following any trauma "the golden hour", which makes this story even more troubling. As a rehab nurse, I can only hope it will make more people aware of the potential for traumatic brain injuries, even with innocent-looking bumps to the head.

And yes, the really important stuff...
Did you know that they're filming a new movie here in St. Louis? Why yes, they are and George Clooney happens to be the star of Paramount's upcoming Up in the Air.

While I was out and about this week, I saw the "snow" at Affton High School (it looked pretty impressive since it didn't melt at 80F...it was shredded paper according to some reports. Another day, I saw a caravan of Paramount trailers. Who knows...one was probably George's, rolling down Gravois and turning to go north on I-55. Nevertheless, it doesn't take much to entertain St. Louisans before spring actually shows up.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

(our very own leprechaun)


I love corned beef and cabbage, but hate the cabbage smell that lingers. One of these days, I'll find a really good air freshener that kills the cabbage smell.

Right now, I'm doing it by baking a batch of this quick Irish soda bread. Believe it or not, it's really getting rid of the smell.

And here's what it looked like out of the oven with a little butter on top:

Soup journal: Red lentil, Oxtail

Well, winter's nearly over, but I've had a lot of fun making different soups this year. For the most part, I've put them in my crockpot as I've gone about my business, cleaning house on my day off or working.

Here are a couple of my favorites below.

Red lentil soup (from www.nytimes.com) is a healthy vegetarian soup.

I made oxtail soup last week based on this recipe from www.cooks.com. I did deviate slightly, though. Cooks.com is great because it has a whole section of crockpot recipes.

Here's my version I made in my SMART crockpot.

Oxtail soup

4 ox tail pieces
3 tbsps butter
1 cup red wine
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove
1.5 qts. water + 1 can beef broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 onion, chopped
6 large carrots, chopped

Saute ox tails in three tablespoons butter until browned. Pour in one cup red wine (I used burgundy) and simmer in covered frying pan for 10 minutes.

NOTE: I also browned the onions in the same skillet used for browning the oxtails. Add all other ingredients and cook in crockpot 4-5 hours.

Cook until done. (Optional: add 1 teaspoon sugar to enhance flavor.) Remove meat from oxtails when soup is done. This soup is even better the next day, and it's easier to skim off fat when cold.

Serve with your favorite crusty bread or cornbread.