sea change...or...we have a MCwinner!!!

I've always considered myself to be on the busy side. I like to do things, whether it be cooking, exercise, home projects, whatever. but lately...well, lately I had been pushing it to the limit. much of my time has been eaten up at work by learning how to operate/figuring out how to implement this, and testing and experimenting with this (links to John's blog, should check it out and become a follower, very informative, cutting edge stuff.) so yeah, you get it, I needed a break. sooooooo, mames and I decided that on the spur of the moment we would head out west to california. specifically, Santa Catalina Island (a tiny island 26 miles off the coast). we had such a good time, it was definitely rejuvenating. I think that a lot is to be said for little vacations. You can take more of them during the year, and it is just enough to get you out of the craziness of everyday life. we were gone for four days, and I felt like we maximized our time out there. the crazy succulent pic is from a plant called a "red hot poker". We rented bikes the first day we were there and rode up to the botanical gardens and checked out all the cactus (still not going to say it, marth...) and such. was pretty beautiful. other pic is of us at the top of the observatory/memorial thing (I'm a naturally shady person). all in all, it was a great time...but the food sucked. it wasn't just bad, it was flavorless. we're crediting it to the fact that the majority of the inhabitants were geezers. seriously, it should have been fabulous. The seafood was excellent quality, just under-seasoned, or not seasoned at all. that was the only bummer.

ok, foodstuff: I have been experimenting with my pressure cooker a lot lately. The last pic is potato leek soup that I made in about 15 minutes. yeah, you read that right. I can't believe it took me this long to get one. i love it. for someone who doesn't have a lot of time, it has been a lifesaver. you'd have to pry it out of my dead lifeless hands. for the soups I have made the method has been pretty much the same. saute aromatics and seasoning, add veggies, liquid, whatever, and then cover, lock, bring to pressure (there's a little knob that pops up), and then cook for about 10 minutes. ridiculous. I haven't cooked meat with it yet, but I'm sure that it will happen soon.

you didn't think i forgot about the giveaway did you???? well, of course I didn't...not entirely. like I said, super bizz at work and then took a little vacation, and also have been doing a three week experiment on cold brew coffee, but that's another post entirely. anyway, the winner of the giveaway is...Martha!! Marth and I used to be partners in baking crime. she has been at the bakery for a long time and has since gone on to bake at the omaha location. it's your lucky day.

use them well.

for those of you non-winners, an even bigger giveaway is still in the works, stay tuned.

also, I apologize for the lack of bloggage lately. like I said, I have been working on a guest post for a different site that I want to be really concise. hope to be back to norm soon.

DISH recommends: taking a minication!!! go somewhere, anywhere!! take a plane, take a car, doggone it man, take a bus if you must, just get out of your home city for a few days. sometimes a break is all you need to get things back in order and focus. plus, you can take 3 or 4 of these a year instead of 1 long trip. bonussssss.......