Melting...

We're in the midst of a category 4 (out of 5) heat wave. Temperatures here have been in the 105-110 range for just about 2 weeks now. My little girl dropped a plastic stetchy toy onto the ground outside the other day and within seconds, it had melted and stuck to the ground! I'm thankful for our backyard pool - we'd rarely be outside this time of year if it weren't for that thing. It's like a bath-tub right now, though - the water was 92 degrees last night at 7 PM! I read this morning that some 80+ deaths in California have been blamed on the heat so far - 7 locally.

Fried Green Tomatoes

(I loved that movie - think about it every time I make these...)

My parents cultivate tomato plants every Summer. I managed to pillage a few tomatoes from them when I can and have twice so far this season. I love Fried Green Tomatoes. I slice them thin, coat with milk and flour (or cornmeal - mixed with salt and pepper) and toss them into my good old Krups Deep-Fryer. They're great straight but we like them in a sandwich - on bread with mayonnaise and more salt and pepper. Yumm.

The Celebrity In You

Interesting website! I signed up and uploaded a recent picture. The program scans the picture provided and 'face detection technology' is used to detect human faces in its database with similar charicteristics. For me, it spit out:

Tyra Banks
Christy Turlington
Cate Blanchett
Carole Lombard
Bebe Neuwirth
Calista Flockhart
Martina McBride
Holly Hunter
Leonardo DiCaprio

Could've been worse!

Buttery Nipple

This was our drink of the night tonight - yumm! Great recipe - what's not to like? I doubled (ahem - tripled) mine, though, and had it on the rocks instead of in a shot glass. Cheers!

One Month From Today

Where has the Summer gone? Seven weeks down - four to go... School for my precious little 1st graders starts one month from today - August 21. We've been pretty busy with Vacation Bible School and Summer Reading Camp. The next few weeks, though, will be all about lazy days, relaxing and sleeping in.

Both kids seem excited about getting back to school - neither is showing much apprehension, thank goodness. Kindergarten was only a 3.5 hour day and 1st grade will be a full 6 hours. Mom worries about how they'll handle that.

On the morning of the 18th, we'll go to school for a "meet the teacher" gathering. It is then that we will find out which classes they're going to be in.

Camera-Ready

Wow - the taping of Rock Star Supernova was even more fun than I imagined it'd be. I've been on numerous sets before having worked as an extra for a few years. Nothing I'd ever done was as enjoyable as this, though. My girlfriend and her husband were late getting here and, on the way into the city, we wasted some time in traffic and stopping for food. We still arrived an hour before the actual call-time but were shocked to find the parking garage totally full once we got there. We made a few circles and ended up at valet parking before jogging towards the studio - worrying the entire time that we might be too late to get in. We did, though - and were asked immediately to follow a P.A. to the pit next to the stage. A total treat! I was very pleased - we had an excellent spot for watching the rockers as well as the House Band. (What an incredible bunch of guys, by the way - Paul Mirkovich, Sasha Krivstov, Jim McGorman, Rafael Moreira and Nate Morton - amazing musicians and not hard on the eyes either!) We stood on set for over an hour before the actual taping started. The performers were great - I thoroughly enjoyed all but maybe two of them and I stand by my picks for a winner - I just have a feeling that either Dilana or Lukas will front Supernova come September. The songlist:

Patrice – Helter Skelter (The Beatles)
Josh – Come As You Are (Nirvana)
Storm – Just What I Needed (The Cars)
Lukas – Let’s Spend the Night Together (The Rolling Stones)
Jill – All Right Now (Free)
Ryan – Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
Phil – White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane)
Dana – It’s My Life (Bon Jovi)
Toby – Runaway Train (Soul Asylum)
Magni – Plush (Stone Temple Pilots)
Zayra – Everybody Hurts (R.E.M.)
Jenny – Drive (Incubus)
Dilana – Zombie (The Cranberries)

Brooke Burke was adorable - tiny little thing. If I had to work, I think I'd want her job! Dave Navarro was a trip. Tommy Lee... Wow... The dude is definitely - uh - charismatic. I think he has ADD or something, though - he never stopped moving, bouncing around or fidgeting. We were clear across the floor from him but stories circulated constantly about his antics - hands-down-his-pants, boob-grabbing etc... Wild. Gilby Clarke seemed cool enough and I really really like Jason Newstead. I've found him to be the most enjoyable of the judges - always honest but kind and he gives reasonable, constructive criticism and not just Simon Cowell-esque put-downs. Being able to watch him (stop reading if you don't want a spoiler) perform with Phil during White Rabbit was the best.

We were given guaranty tickets for Wednesday's taping of the results show but I don't think we'll be able to make it... I do hope to make at least a few more performance shows this summer!

Oh yeah - J.D. - no sight or mention of him at all! Odd... They announced that Slash would be a guest the week before and then the same thing happened - no appearance and no explanation. I can't help but wonder if this is part of some MBP plan to get people to attend tapings and/or watch the show...

Rock Star Supernova

Last night, I secured tickets for my girlfriend, her husband and I to attend a taping of the show, Rock Star : Supernova on Sunday July 16. (My husband - bless his heart - has volunteered to stay home with the kids. He is leaving to play in a 4-day golf tournament in Carlsbad at the crack of dawn Monday morning so he doesn't want to be out all night Sunday.) It'll be a performance show which will air on CBS Tuesday July 18 and they're going to have a special guest - J.D. Fortune! I'm beyond excited - should be a blast!

Jam-ba-LAY-a

(Can't you just hear the soup Nazi from Seinfeld say that?!)

I've never been to New Orleans. I've been obsessed with its cuisine for weeks, though - ever since we attended a dinner cooked by 2 New Orleans natives (he's a financial planner and she's an attorney/judge) - Shrimp Remoulade, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Fried Catfish, Crawfish Pie, Bananas Foster... The food was incredible!

I contemplated, for a little while, a New Orleans themed 4th of July party this year but went for the Backyard BBQ instead. Tonight, however, I made my first Jambalaya. It was a simple recipe - not 100% "authentic" perhaps - but fantastic (and embarassingly simple) nonetheless.

Jambalaya
Courtesy of: Paula Deen (FoodTV)
Serves 4-6

2.5 c. water
1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1-8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 pound fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/4" slices
1 c. long grain rice3 T. dried minced onion
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1 T. beef bouillon granules
1/2 t. dried thyme leaves
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. salt
1 bay leaf
1/2-3/4 pounds of medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

In large pot, mix all ingredients but shrimp. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat - simmering for 20 minutes. Add shrimp (make sure tails have been removed) and cook for additional 5-7 minutes or until shrmp are pink.

Enjoy! (We sure did!)

Starla

I get my nails done twice/month (I have pink and white acrylics - have for about a year - can't believe I didn't get them sooner as they're awesome!). During one of those appointments each month, I have a pedicure too. Today was my fill/pedi day. I'm a fan of OPI polish ordinarily but today I opted for "Starla" - a new Summer color from Zoya. So pretty. My 6 year old daughter (who is very "girlie" and likes to do everything her Mommy does) is begging me to go too. I've told her she can start when she's 16 - I have no idea how I'm going to stave her off for 10 more years!

Happy 4th!

In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Enjoy the day and time with your families.

Be safe!