Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!















Miss S. also Halloween'ed as Elvis....







Elvis has left the building...












It's the hunk of burning love!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Bluto!

I love it when Baby G raises one eyebrow just like John Belushi in Animal House.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Postal Hijinks...

I went to the post office today to mail birthday gifties for 5280 Mommy and the Boy among other things. My usual post office closes at 1pm on Saturdays and since today there was a torrential downpour at lunchtime I wasn't able to leave the house until after the P.O. closed. That meant going to the Princeton Junction Post Office which is "open late for your convenience". This "open late" however is caveated by the fact that final mail pick up is always two hours before they close. Not to mention that the post office is then staffed specifically with people who really don't want to be there. Case in point. I get to the Post Office, package my goodies and then get in line. I'm 6th in line. There's one cashier and she's working out of the postal gift shop, rather than the actual postal window. All five people ahead of me have *lots* of stuff to mail. People keep getting in line. I realize we're going to be here for a while. Then we all kind of notice the loud talking coming from behind the "Passport Office" door. It's clearly a one way conversation (i.e. a phone call) and by the sound of it, not one related to passports or the post office. At about ten after four (yes, ten minutes *after* the post office closed) the manager comes out from the back to finally lock the front door so no one else can get in line (now I'm about third from the front) and she says to everyone in line how sorry she is that we've had to wait and that they close at four and that as we can see they only have one person working. To this I say, "what about the person in the passport office who's been on a personal call for the past fifteen minutes?" The manager looks at me a bit dismayed and says, "oh, no, she's handling passports." and I respond, "it doesn't sound like it." So with that the manager knocks on the door, is told to "hang on a minute" and then she proceeds to open the door and see one employee. No passport people, nothing being taken care of, just Maureen on her cell phone. Surprisingly, both the manager and the lone postal cashier thanked me. I guess Maureen does this a lot.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Snow?

While the drought continues they're making snow at Stone Mountain....?

Halloween Mischief...

The first Halloween. It's important. There are pictures to be taken, costume contests to enter. We ordered a standard issue pumpkin baby bunting costume for Miss S. But, another costume idea came to me in a dream (yes, in a dream) and I knew I had to make that one too. (Hey, nobody ever said you couldn't have two Halloween costumes). The costume will reveal itself soon (in pictures no less) but for now all I can say is hot glue and rhinestones are involved. It was very nostalgic as the last time I used hot glue and rhinestones was in high school. Alas, Ana and I bedazzled a jean jacket for our english teacher/yearbook advisor who was part of a country and western singing duo, the "Dixie Diamonds". Good times.

Big Days Out

Yesterday we ventured into the city and had our first trip to Central Park. The Hechsler playground was a nice surprise and Miss S. had quite a good time looking at all the other babies and toddlers. Interestingly the nanny to mom/grandparent ratio was probably 5 to 1. Heck, I think I only saw two grandparents total and about 5 or 6 moms/dads. Strolling through the wilds of Central Park avec Bugaboo only showed me that while my bicep strength has benefited from toting around 15 pounds of baby, the ye old respiratory system could still use some work. Should one really get winded pushing a stroller up over park's hills and dales? Probably not.
After CP, we had a lovely lunch with Dave at Brasserie. We had the Cuisine Rapide all around-- the french onion soup was tres tasty! Then we wandered about (noting that during the day we made the trek back and forth from BMW on 57th and 11th to the East side twice). It was good exercise, though I have to say that my style was a bit cramped once the ped I was wearing on my left foot developed a hole at my big toe which just kept getting larger and larger (encompassing more and more of my toes) until finally I removed it (in the elevator of the BabyGap flagship) and went sockless on the left foot. Ironically, by days end I ended up with a blister on the back of the socked right foot, while the sockless left foot was fine. All in all though, a good day was had.

Then, today we hit up Woodbury Commons with Thisbe and the Wee Kraken. We scored a very cute little a-line wool dress at Off Fifth and even a baby Burberry "Happy" scarf! Rounding out the shopping experience, we got some basics for the Husband at Brooks Brothers and also found a new puffy coat for yours truly. (To be honest there was an Andrew Marc puffy coat with rabbit fur collar and fur-trimmed hood that I *really* liked, but when I tried it on I looked a bit too much like I was part of the cast of The Day After Tomorrow. Instead I opted for a slightly less puffy and sans fur-trimmed puffy coat. I justified this by noting both that (a) I won't be needing to exclaim "we've reached a critical desalinization point!" at any time in the near future and (b) for the most part this winter I'll just be in and out of the car, rather than, let's say standing on the train platform freezing my butt off as an Acela speeds by at 70 mph.

Now, what have we learned? First, try and find peds that your toe won't put a hole in, second, traveling with baby has opened up a whole new level of mental mapping. Take, for instance, our city trek. One now has to know where all the elevators and good changing areas are within your particular city neighborhood. As an FYI, for those wandering about with Baby in the Big Apple, I have complied a short list of useful stopping locations in midtown (I never really expected that knowing where good bathrooms are would be so important, who knew?)

Obviously, first and foremost, a girl's best friend is the 4th floor ladies lounge at Saks. There are giant handicapped bathroom stalls (easily accommodating both mom and stroller), tables that can be used for changing and a very long banquette useful for feeding breaks.

Another helpful location would be the top floor of Barney's. While the folks in the Children's department are generally unhelpful, the bathroom on this floor is clean and well kept and has a stainless steel changing table. Also on this floor, outside of Fred's at Barney's is seating useful for bottle time.

Rounding out the Department Store destinations would be Bloomingdale's. The bathroom on the 8th floor (another children's department floor) has a good surface for changing (though I prefer the granite table outfitted with our skip hop changing pad rather than the designated changing area), and a giant handicapped stall.

I've found that restaurants typically are a crap shoot as to whether a changing table will be available and when in doubt, you can always try something on at Banana or JCrew or the like and use your time in the fitting room wisely not only for trying things on but also for changing and/or bottles, depending on locale and busy-ness.

Milk's Favorite Cookie...

At our four month doctor's visit, Dr. Sean tolds us that we could start trying solid food at any point between four and six months. So far we've tried rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet peas, sweet potato and applesauce without success. So I was figuring we'd give it more time and maybe Sophie would warm up to it. I figured perhaps she just wasn't too keen on the whole texture thing. Then we gave her an Oreo to gum. Texture clearly isn't the problem. I'm not quite sure what they put in the magical chocolate cookie goodness of an Oreo but it was a big hit. Additionally, oreo dust and baby drool is very adhesive combination.

As the Gawker T-Shirt said, "George Clooney Stalked Me"

I know by now it's old news but only in New Jersey would 27 hospital workers be suspended for accessing George Clooney's personal information without authorization after his hospital stay in Bergen County last month.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Thursday, October 18, 2007

To Boldly Go...

More casting updates on the J.J. Abrams helmed Star Trek pic. Okay, I have to say Zachary Quinto (aka Sylar) is a perfect choice for Spock, but Karl Urban as Bones!?! I mean I like Karl... he was great as the villian in The Bourne Supremacy, but as Bones? There is absolutely no resemblence whatsoever. He's a Kiwi for God's sake! He'd be a better villian... better than poor Eric Bana! I know, I know, Eric Bana made a failed attempt at the Hulk (which apparently is going to be remade with Ed Norton??) but he was great in Munich. You make one bad Drew Barrymore movie (hello "Lucky You") and you're relegated to being the Star Trek villian, a role less important than that of Karl Urban? Sure he'll be with the likes of Ricardo Montalban, but still. Then Sulu: John Cho. Harold and Kumar go to Azati Prime? But the question remains--- will James Cromwell reprise his role as Zefram Cochrane?

How to Stop an Exploding Man...

Here's my review of the latest fall tv season. Ah, there were so many hopes.

Heroes. Back again and just as many commercial interruptions as at the end of last season. So far the storylines have been fine but what's with having approximately 38 minutes of show for a one hour block of television? Just how many Nissan Rogue commercials does NBC think I will sit through before I'll just TiVo the damn thing and watch it later, commercial free?

Chuck. Like it. Close to loving it, will give it a bit more time. Given that this has a handful less commercials than Heroes I have been finding it actually *more* entertaining than Heroes. No matter how much time goes by Adam Baldwin will always just be that kid from "My Bodyguard".

Journeyman. Okay I know its lame and everyone says its just recycled Quantum Leap (but hell, I never watched Quantum Leap). Again, I know its cheesy and I'm kind of surprised it hasn't been cancelled yet but for some reason I'm totally mesmerized by the fact that Kevin McKidd looks just like Anthony Michael Hall. Perhaps in a future episode he'll go back to the past and meet AMH. One never knows, and speaking of name acronyms, whatever happened to PMT? Anyhoo, its semi-sci-fi and generally not crime based. I like it.

Cavemen. At least there aren't any Geico commercials while the show is on. I like that Joel works at a thinly veiled IKEA. This show could actually be funny but surprisingly there aren't enough "caveman" jokes. Instead its just like they're a bunch of hairy guys living in San Diego.

Carpoolers. Is it just me or is Jerry O'Connell kind of funny looking? It's like his face is a mask or something. Anyway, the show kind of has potential. As the Husband has noted it occasionally has some funny lines. I'll give it some time, perhaps it will hit its stride, god knows riding on the coattails of Cavemen isn't doing it any favors.

Bionic Woman. Sorry Dave, I couldn't sit through it. It lost me with Isaiah Washington and a trip to Paraguay.

Kitchen Nightmares. So much better than "Hell's Kitchen". I do prefer the BBC America version, but this isn't bad. All I can say is thank god I had never eaten at that Indian restaurant they showed in the second episode.

Reaper. What the hell has happened to Kevin Smith's career? Okay, I guess this means that Clerks and Dogma were just flukes and Jersey Girl really was about all he's worth? I will give it this much-- watching a typical episode of Heroes you've got a commercial by minute 6. Reaper? No commercials in the first 15 minutes. Then again it is on the CW.

Pushing Daisies. Yada, yada, yada. Everybody raves. Again, the Husband hit the nail on the head-- it's trying to be an HBO series. What kills it? That fricking narrator. I can't take the narrator anymore. The narration is only made worse when, at the commercial break, the same guy does the voice over for the latest quit-smoking scheme (you know, the one with the tortoise and the hare). Yeah, same guy. Make it stop. Please.

Kid Nation. Why did I TiVo this in the first place? Will somebody send that little girl with the annoying southern accent HOME?

30 Rock. It's getting funnier. But the Office? Two weeks in a row now they've done "full hours" of The Office. Ugh. Steve Carrell- you're not Ricky Gervais and let's face it, the British version wasn't that funny either. Let's just put on Seinfeld re-runs instead and be done.

Antiques Roadshow. There, that's good prime-time television I can stand behind. Now, let's keep our eye out for the episodes with the third Keno brother!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Take a Little Time to Enjoy the View...

This morning's daily View watching was irritatingly interrupted by a press conference from the President. (Why is it that he always calls these damn things at 11am?) Did anybody besides Miss S and I watch this? Are W's advisors telling him to beef up the Texas accent? And I loved his response to the reporter asking how he felt back in 1981 when Israel bombed the "power plant" in Iraq. To paraphrase: "I don't recall how I reacted, I was trying to make a living to take care of my family." Yes, but you're the president now, so from a historical point of view, surely, you have an opinion? I guess not. I also loved the line of questioning about Putin. Now perhaps I understand why these things are limited to being on at 11am.

Nobel Prize???

Okay, so Al Gore gets the Peace Prize?? Can one explain to me exactly how "An Inconvienent Truth" merits the *peace* prize? I mean hell, what about Leo DiCaprio, he drives a Prius and just narrated "The 11th Hour" and we already know he's "king of the world!" so why not give him the prize? Or what about Bono. I mean come on, Bono's not only best friends with Nelson Mandela but he's been wearing those goofy blue x-ray specs for years now, I think in the realm of celebrities "trying to make a difference" Bono has certainly more street cred vis-a-vis the Peace Prize than ol' Al. Next thing you know Sean Penn will be in the running.

It's an S-N-P Thing...

Got to love the Salt N Pepa Show on VH-1. But where's Spinderella?

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Let Me Get This Straight....

If there's not a hurricane in the next few days Atlanta could run out of drinking water in 90-121 days? How exactly does one get itself into that spot? I guess when your governor is named "Sonny Purdue" just about anything can happen.

Discovery HD Theater

So we're watching some nature show on Base Jumping in Norway and can I just say, Discovery HD Theater is much cooler than watching Conan O'Brien in HD.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Trees. We LOVE Trees!

Trend Breakers....

We're watching this lame show called "Trend Breakers" on NBC 4 this morning and I love that they're talking about time travel. "Is time travel possible, and if so, where would you go?" Yeah, this is real news!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Le Transporteur

We've seen The Transporter II 50 bazillion times, love Jason Statham, deplore Matthew Modine, the villians are good, the stunts are great, we'll forgive the use of an Audi rather than a BMW. I had started to watch The Transporter once before and now I'm remembering why I couldn't make it through. The love-interest girl is so *boring*. Ugh. Could the pace of this movie *be* any slower???

Okay, it picked up a little bit, Frank spent a few minutes driving a beat-up old SAAB.

Social Security?

When Miss Baby was born we filled out a form at the hospital to get a social security number (because really, shouldn't she be paying taxes already??) Well the social security card came shortly after we got home from the hospital and I stowed it away somewhere safe and of course that means, as it always does in my family, that it's in a place so safe even I can't find it. Since we need the social security card for obtaining a passport I decided to just break down and order a replacement card from the Social Security Administration. And, while I was at it, I figured I'd get a replacement for myself since I haven't had my card since I don't even know when. I went to the SSA website to find out where to go and by putting in my zip code the website directed me to the closest office. That meant the office in Trenton. Yeah, okay, I made the mistake of getting my NJ Driver's License at the DMV in Trenton and I decided then and there that I wouldn't be traveling to Trenton for anything else. Does the SSA website have a link for you to locate all of the offices within a particular state or locality? (You know, like if you were on the Gap's website and wanted to find all of their stores in NJ)... No, of course not, instead I have to sit there and jockey between the Post Office's zip code locator and the SSN's website trying to figure out zip codes of local towns that are far enough away from here that I wouldn't be directed back to Trenton. We're not even going to discuss the office in New Brunswick, instead let's just say that today we went to Somerville. The folks at the Somerville office were very helpful and the experience was much quicker than I expected (even given the whole "step right up and take your deli ticket number" atmosphere).

The first thing that happens when I step in the door is that I'm asked by a senior citizen volunteer if I have an appointment (can you even make appointments??) No, I say. Then I'm asked what I'm here for-- I say, replacement cards. Do you have proof of identification? To that I state that I have my daughter's birth certificate, immunization record and insurance card. Then I'm told: "Well, you know, a birth certificate isn't proof of identity."

Okay, a birth certificate certified by the health department in the locality where she was born *isn't* proof of identity? (Granted-- I knew this already from the SSN website, and hence that's why I had the immunization record) Isn't this a little bizzare? The immunization record was all of one printed page with Miss Baby's name on it and the name, address and phone number of the doctor's office with a notation as to when she had her DipTet shot. I could have typed it up at home. It wasn't on letterhead, it even vaguely looked like it had been printed on a dot matrix. I'll give you that the insurance card is a little more reputable, I mean, after all, it is laminated. Certainly by having an insurance card I'm showing that a) I'm not on medicare and b) I have gone to the trouble of reporting a birth to my insurance company and am paying some sort of premium for this little person, but then again, how does Oxford actually know she exists? The people at the Health Department actually have access to the birth record from the hospital, so shouldn't the "birth certificate" carry a bit more weight than either the immunization sheet or the insurance card??

Note also that the birth certificate doesn't prove "identity" for purposes of the passport either, yet a baptismal record will. Can anyone explain to me why it is that the Federal Government apparently puts no value on documentation provided by local and state municipalities? Isn't this a little odd? They'll trust Oxford and a baptism certificate but not the health department?

I can't wait to find out what kind of a debacle obtaining a passport will be.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

In the "What is The World Coming To" Department

this week's In Touch cover story is: "Angelina gains 10 Pounds!"

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Is It Just Me

or do you agree that J-Lo and Alan Greenspan is an unexpected guest combination on David Letterman?

Sting's Favorite Pasta

I'm amazed at how many hits I get for the "Sting's Favorite Pasta" entry.

Also, interestingly, someone from DC viewed a link to one of my posts that mentioned "homeland security".

Got to love Statcounter.

Thanks to the Thisbe Family!

This afternoon we had a lovely visit in P-town with the Thisbe Family! including a trip to the Bent Spoon for ice cream. It was a happy fun birthday treat! Yay!

Monday, October 08, 2007

Random Thoughts...

Last night I watched The Holiday. Ugh. Didn't the producers or the casting director realize that generally speaking Cameron Diaz is not someone that women relate to? Yeah, sure, she's fine in Charlie's Angels or There's Something About Mary (to which the Husband noted Chris Elliott and even Brett Favre were good in that movie), but in a "romantic comedy"? She's no Meg Ryan or Sandra Bullock. The only good thing about the movie was her sweater wardrobe. And, Jude Law? How can one take Jude Law as a single dad seriously after Nannygate? Do the people who put this movie together not read the tabloids? And poor Kate Winslet? I've said it before and I'll say it again, the woman puts on a few pounds from the days of Titanic and her love interest goes from Leonardo DiCaprio to Jack Black??? I mean true Jack Black's performance in the film was oscarworthy compared to Cameron's but still!

Next random thought: Just how fast to infant's fingernails grow?? It seems as though we're trimming Miss S's nails every five minutes and due to the fact that she's reached the height of her squirmy phase we have recently had to move to clipping her nails while she sleeps. It's an interesting state of affairs when it is actually easier to clip the cat's claws...

More Movies.... Blood Diamond. It was The Beach all over again, just with a political message. And riddle me this one, why, if you previously worked as a gun runner and "soldier of fortune" would you not wear a bullet proof vest? Who'd have thunk Leo would get sidelined by that rare bullet to the armpit.

Birthday Shout-Out

October 8 is not only Columbus Day this year but is also the birthday for the Mom, Matt Damon, Sigourney Weaver and the infamous Chevy Chase. Happy Birthday, everybody!

Sunday, October 07, 2007

"Free"Public Library Part Deux

Okay, for comparison's sake, I checked out the library card requirements at the New York Public Library. All you have to do is live in NEW YORK STATE, work in NEW YORK STATE, own property in NEW YORK STATE or be a student in NEW YORK STATE and your library card is free. That means me, still maintaining a work address in NYC can get a free library card. If I lived in Angola, NY or Watertown or any other farflung location I could also get a card. Clear on the other side of the state! Now, if you can't meet any of those options you can buy your library card for $100 per year. Now explain to me why my property taxes in New Jersey can't create a state wide library system???

"Free" Public Library....?

So I am utterly adverse to the concept of a "lending library" due to my Howard Hughes like germ-phobia. While I used to use the local library back in Marietta, and obviously used the library at Cornell, it was my time living in New York that gave me a second thought about reading a book which may have been in the hands of any of the other 8 million people in the city, but I digress. In Princeton there is a brand new lovely library. On a whim I visited the Princeton Public Library website to see what knitting books they had available, thinking, perhaps it would be more cost effective to just borrow a pattern book rather than forking over $$$ at the local B&N if there was only one pattern I was interested in (case in point: "Twinkle's Big City Knits", do I really need to own this when all I'm interested in is one measly shrug pattern? NO.) Alas, the library didn't have Twinkle's Big City Knits, but it did have at least three books by knitting guru Debbie Bliss including one book with a pattern for a shawl collared baby sweater that I have been contemplating knitting up for Miss Baby. Great, I decide to take the plunge and the library website is so sophisticated that I was not only able to review the book's table of contents, but I could also reserve it online! I clicked on the link to get my library card and was hit with the following information:

"Free cards are available to all residents of Princeton Borough and Township, including those in university housing. Just fill out a small card, show identification and proof of residence, and receive your card immediately. Cards are renewed every 3 years."


"Free cards are also available to non-resident Princeton property owners, business CEOs, teachers who work in a public or private school in Princeton, librarians and literacy tutors or their students. Cards are renewed annually."


"Other non-residents may purchase cards for fees equivalent to the tax payments of local residents. The fees for one card are: $30 for 1 month; $90 for 6 months; or $150 for 1 year. Cards for additional household members are $10 each."

And, just to clear up any confusion:

"Princeton Area Residents: Parts of several other municipalities share Princeton ZIP codes and mailing addresses. In addition, many area subdivisions not within the border of Princeton Borough or Township include the word "Princeton" in their names. While we are unable to offer free borrowing privileges to residents of these communities, we can direct people to the public library that serves their local community."

Yes, that's right, if I want to check this book out I'd need a subscription. A subscription that is thirty dollars per month or one fifty per year. WHAT?? Am I crazy? First of all, since when is it the borough and township that runs the library? What about having a county wide library system? Secondly, if my driver's license says I live in Princeton and the Post Office says I live in Princeton, why exactly is it that the folks at the library think I'm a non-resident? Exactly what part of my property tax is going to fund the library?? Okay, I don't mind having to fork over some cash if they really insist but $150 per year? Give me a break. Personally, if I'm going to spend $150 I'd rather just buy the books and get to keep them.

Now I think I finally understand why so many people just sit at Barnes and Noble reading books and magazines as if they were in a library-- because it's free.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

French Vegetables, Kind Of...

Tonight I cheated and picked up a lemon garlic rotisserie chicken at Wegmans. But, not wanting to go completely pre-prepared, I made the vegetable sides... we hadCaramelized Shallots, a Vegetable Tian, Parmesan couscous and a loaf of pepperidge farm artisan bread. The Husband not only actually put butter on the hot loaf of bread but he also suggested that the vegetables be put on the rotating menu. The Tian was very easy (though it does take about 40 minutes to roast in the oven)... I stuck with Ina's recipe for the most part (adjusting the ingredient amounts as I was making it just for 2 instead of 4 to 6) and changing up the potatoes and tomatoes due to a small vegetable emergency. For some reason the tomatoes I bought earlier in the week decided to become some sort of science experiment along with two of the three white potatoes. Luckily I had a reserve of alternate tomatoes and potatoes so I ended up using one yukon gold potato, two small red potatoes and one white potato and instead of two regular tomatoes I sliced up a bunch of grape tomatoes and tossed them on top of the layered potatoes and zucchini (my zucchini, unlike the potatoes and tomatoes were unscathed)... Overall I liked the Yukon Gold potato slices the best, because after all Yukon Gold potatoes seem to be the equivalent of potato crack. The vegetable slices were placed on top of a layer of sauteed onions and then roasted in the oven for about 40 minutes or so.

For the caramelized shallots I wasn't able to keep them together as Ina's recipe suggests since I managed to obtain the world's largest shallots. Instead of a bunch of small shallots making up my pound I had about 4 giant ones. So, I cut them into quarters, sauteed them in butter with a bit of sugar and red wine vinegar and then I placed them in a baking dish. Once in the baking dish I added a bit of cream and put some bread crumbs on top and added them to the oven with the Tian. Very, very tasty. Topped off with a bit of couscous (what is possibly the easiest starch in the world to prepare) and accompanied by the rotisserie chicken, all was right with dinner.

Avocado Ranch...

So, I've known for years that Tom Selleck has an Avocado farm, but the question is, how do you know if those Hass Avocado you're buying at WF are from Tom's farm?? Really, he should market those better.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Two Words:



Pumpkin Hat.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Jane Austen Book Club

Okay Hollywood. I liked the Jane Austen Book Club. It was an easy read and a decent book overall, but the movie version?? Ugh. What's with that cast!?! It's like a lame version of a Lifetime movie. I like Emily Blunt (thanks only to TDWP), but Maria Bello (sorry, just don't like the look of her...), Amy Brennemen and Kathy Baker?? Not to mention, Jimmy Smits? (What is this, get Denis Franz and its an NYPD Blue reunion). Anyhoo, that's just my two cents.

ps. on a completely unrelated topic... I feel that the use of "Anyhoo" has been completely legitimized, thanks to this past Sunday's On Language by William Safire in the Times Magazine.

Just a Thought....

So, if Britney Spears' has lost custody of her sons, my question is... shouldn't they just skip K-Fed and go straight to living with Shar Jackson? I mean, that's where Kev's other kids are, right?

Croque Monsieur

Tonight's dinner was Croque Monsieur. We used Ina's recipe from Barefoot in Paris. It was really easy and very tasty! In addition to gruyere and parmesan I added extra sharp cheddar to the cheese sauce. I served the sandwiches with a salad of mixed greens and baby roma tomatoes with a lemon vinagrette (and goat cheese on baguette slices). We finished things off with fresh baked brownies! (out of a box)... I have to say, the roux that Ina has you use for the sandwiches is essentially the same as she has you use for her Macaroni and Cheese. Let me just say, we love the roux.
ps. Last night we made "Sting's Favorite Pasta" again. I highly recommend it!

Monday, October 01, 2007