Proof

See! We do dress up... sometimes...

Not too shabby, eh?

That's 'Potato,' Mr. Quayle

Every time Seth and I drive to and from his parents' house in Idaho Falls, we pass signs in Blackfoot that read "Potato Museum." I sarcastically beg Seth to stop so that we can go see it and he always promises that we'll do so "next time". It's usually Sunday when we pass, or it's too late in the evening, or we have the cat along for the ride. The time has never been right... until today.

We went up to Idaho Falls for a quick over-nighter and found ourselves driving back home in the middle of the day on a Saturday. "Let's stop at the Potato Museum!" I said in a genuinely excited tone. "You really want to?" Seth said incredulously. "Sure! I want to get my picture taken in front of the giant potato! Plus, this may be our only chance... we can't let it slip away!"

So this time, as we drove by the sign on the freeway that announced "Potato Museum, next exit" we took heed. And it was all I ever dreamed it would be. Behold... the one and only Blackfoot Potato Museum in all its wondrous glory:

Seth with some potato machinery stuff.

My excellent potato masher displaying skills.

Seth loves potato sacks.

And the pièce(s) de résistance...

Oh yeah, I know you're all jealous. You should be.

Today's Special: Smoked Salmon Burgers, Cobb Salad Pizza, Spaghetti w/ Clams & Corn, Grilled Pork Loin, & Red Velvet Cupcakes

Smoked Salmon Burgers- New Recipe. These turned out really good. The avocado mayo mixture was tangy and went well with the salmon. If you don't like fishy stuff, smoked salmon is not for you. I think regular grilled salmon would work well as a less-fishy substitute.

Cobb Salad Pizza- New Recipe. This was my first time using one of the refrigerated pizza doughs. I thought it was pretty good and would use it again. The pizza was good but the lack of sauce made it so the toppings fell off really easily. I'm not sure what I'd do to remedy that as regular pizza sauce wouldn't taste that good. I know it's not exactly healthy, but maybe ranch dressing or something like that would work. It may also work a little better to shred the chicken instead of cutting it into cubes because then the chicken's center of gravity would be lower and it wouldn't topple over the side of the pizza slice so easily. There are a lot of physics involved in cooking.

Spaghetti with Clams and Corn- New Recipe. I should've listen to the reviews on this one. There were only a couple reviews, but they all said this was too bland. I thought, " How could it be bland with all those onions and fresh herbs?" Somehow it was. It wasn't bad by any means, just not that great either. Too bad.

Grilled Pork Loin- No recipe. So I just bought a pre-marinated pork loin at the grocery store and threw it on the grill. Made some Rice-a-Roni and there's dinner!

Red Velvet Cupcakes- New Recipe. I made these and brought them to work for a birthday treat and all those guys raved all day long about how they were the best cupcakes they'd ever had in their entire lives and what did I do to them to make them so delicious and what's in the frosting and on and on and on. So they were good. Even though I don't like Bobby Flay and think he's a douche.

Today's Special: Steak & Potato Kebabs, Grilled Portobello Sandwiches, Salmon Panzanella, & Curried Chicken w/ Mango Salsa

Steak & Potato Kebabs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce- New Recipe. These turned out really good. The meat was cooked perfectly and wasn't chewy. The potatoes were cooked through and the poblano peppers had a much better flavor than regular green bell peppers. I also really liked the cilantro sauce. It had a very fresh flavor and complimented the meat and veggies really well. Plus kebabs always look so pretty! I would definitely recommend this one.

Curried Chicken with Mango Salad- New Recipe. I thought this turned out pretty good. It was a very light, summery meal. I think I liked the mango salad more than Seth did. The chicken was probably the best part. The outside was nice and crunchy and had a good flavor. I was surprised the yogurt based sauce held up so well. I thought it would burn under the broiler. This was probably the least favorite meal of the week, but by no means bad.

Salmon Panzanella- New Recipe. I actually have no idea why I made this recipe. When I looked at it and saw the salad with bread chunks, cucumber and such, I didn't think it looked all that great. But somehow I made it anyway and I'm telling you, this was fantastic! It really blew me away how good it was! It was extremely easy to make and somehow the flavors all blended together really nicely and it just worked! Seth kept digging into the salad with the giant serving spoon and eating it while the salmon was cooking. Another bonus was that it used up some of the whole wheat rolls I'd bought for the portobello sandwiches earlier in the week. This one is definitely a keeper!

Balsamic Grilled Portobello Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Roasted Peppers- Repeat. Wow wow wow. Even better than I remember. These may even knock out the Vegetarian Reubens with Russian Dressing as my favorite meat-free meal. So easy and so much flavor! The recipe says to let the mushrooms marinate for 1 hour, but both times I've done 30 minutes and they still turn out great. This is possibly my most favorite sandwich ever.

July Book Reviews: "The Time Traveler's Wife," "Anthem," "Why We Suck," & "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle"

My Rating System: OK*, Good**, Great***

The Time Traveler's Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger
Rating: **

This book is about Henry, a man who time travels (mostly to the past) but has no control over when or where he goes. I really liked the idea of this book and think it's a unique take on the time traveling theme, but I don't think it lived up to its potential. I didn't think the chemistry between Claire and Henry was that great. I mean it seemed like their relationship was based more on physical chemistry than actual love. And I also think it sucks that Claire never had a real relationship with anyone else. Her whole young adult life was basically wasted sitting at home pinning for someone she rarely got to see. I don't really see that as romantic. More tragic than anything to basically have someone tell you what your life is going to be like.

I know this sounds like a negative review, but I did like this book. I just think it could have been a lot better. That said, I did cry at the end. I think it is worth reading, but don't expect to be wowed.

Anthem

by Ayn Rand

Rating:***

I picked this book up off the shelf at home because it was a short book that would give me a little break from my other books. I had no idea what it was about and had only heard the name "Ayn Rand" from a recent episode of Jeopardy. I'm not sure why I didn't know her name before because she's the author of the famous "Atlas Shrugged."

"Anthem" was a very pleasant surprise. I really loved this book. Such a great message and written in a clever way. I don't really want to tell you what this book is about because it's so short that a synopsis would give away too much of the story. But, I thought it had a "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" sort of feel and had a bit of an Emersonian voice. I can't recommend this one enough. Definitely worth the couple of hours it'll take you to read it.

Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid

by Dr. Denis Leary

Rating: **

I picked this up in audio version at the library for entertainment during a road trip. I hadn't heard anything about it, but I like Denis Leary so I thought there was a lot of potential. With Leary himself reading this book, it turned out to be sort of a stand-up comedy routine. Which was a good thing. It was definitely entertaining enough for a long drive and even conjured up some rants between Seth and I (ok mostly me) about several things. The material wasn't necessarily unique, but like I said, it was entertaining. If you get offended easily and/or don't like swears, you best stay away from this one.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle

By Washington Irving
Rating: **

This is another book I chose because it was so short. Actually two books in one. A nice easy read and good to get the real story instead of the Disney/Hollywood versions. Plus, they're classics!

It's What I Do

{I stoled this idea from Holly}

Sunday: Last day of our family vacation. We took the scenic route home because for once I kind of felt like it. We were happy to see our crazy cat was still alive and kicking.

Monday: Back to the grindstone. It was raining when I left work so I decided grocery shopping was out. It always rains on me on shopping day. Always. I didn't feel like cooking dinner so I ordered Chinese take-out. Disappointingly bad. Although my fortune cookie said I'll be getting a promotion this next month. Gracie chose a fortune cookie too but it was empty. Apparently cats don't get fortunes.

Tuesday: A day full of meetings. Finally planned the week's menu and did the grocery shopping. The storm gods must have been thrown off because I didn't get rained on. The crazy looking chick won on Jeopardy. She looks like Stan from South Park when she smiles.

Wednesday: Went out for my birthday lunch with co-workers. Pat's BBQ was delicious! Even though I had to sit at a picnic table and eat off a paper plate.*

Thursday: Went out for another birthday lunch with co-workers (they really like me). Went to Little America Coffee Shop this time. Excellent Country Fried Steak and probably the best chocolate cake I've ever had in my life. It's really muggy and hot in the office today with all this rain. I can't wait to get out of here and go home to read my book!

*I'm being sarcastic. Dives are the best.

Colors of Utah

I spent this weekend in the Zions area of Utah. Let me tell you it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Here is a little snippet of what I saw... more to come!