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18087. Ms. No - 1/3/2006 10:32:18 PM mmmm! Gimlet!! 18088. thoughtful - 1/3/2006 10:32:41 PM My last day of work before the holidays was 12/16 and today is my first day back. Man is this tough...this is the longest day ever.
Those 2+ weeks went by so quickly and I find myself hankering for more.
Is it time to go home yet? 18089. thoughtful - 1/3/2006 10:33:43 PM One of the xmas parties we went to had a trifle made with whipped cream and choc cake...it was so yummy. Gotta get that recipe! 18090. Ms. No - 1/3/2006 10:36:07 PM Right now I'm thinking I won't have to shop for a year. Pasta baskets are apparently the in thing as far as corporate gifts go this year so I've got a cupboard overflowing with exotic pastas, olive, nut and sun-dried tomato pestos, biscotti and herbed olive oils.
I like this trend a LOT! 18091. Ms. No - 1/3/2006 10:37:06 PM Jen, that pavolova is beautiful! Makes me crave strawberries. 18092. judithathome - 1/3/2006 10:40:46 PM We got some sundried tomatoes for the party...I had planned to use hearty crackers with some creamcheese and a smear of sun dried tomato but people started arriving early and that plan went by the wayside.
Oh well...I'll do it for the next gathering of friends....later this month.
They were handing these out at CostCo on plain Ritz crackers and they were delicious so I figured the hearty crackers would make them even more so. 18093. thoughtful - 1/3/2006 10:42:52 PM I bought a foccacia bread in the store and drizzled it with olive oil (it was already loaded with parm cheese and herbs) and put some sun-dried tomatoes on it and baked in a hot oven for about 10 min before cutting into squares and serving with drinks. 18094. Ms. No - 1/3/2006 10:43:17 PM T'ful,
I feel for you. I'm bemoaning the fact that this is the last in a month of 4 day work weeks. Do you have a planned retirement date yet or is that still too far in the future for you to consider?
18095. Ms. No - 1/3/2006 10:48:31 PM Trader Joe's has ready-made pizza dough in their cheese section for 97 cents. You can get white or wheat and it's great to make bruschetta with. It's one of my potluck staples. TJ's pizza dough spread with goat cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto, red onion and sprinkled with mozzarella. 18096. thoughtful - 1/3/2006 10:50:21 PM Never too far in the future to consider.
But much rests on the new house...I'd prefer to have a decent income while we're building that puppy since cost overruns are sure to be part of the deal. Maybe once the house is done....
The other big factor of course is health care costs. I'd have to finance my health insurance for many years to come and however good we are with our investments, it's unlikely they will rise as quickly as the health insurance costs. I'm working for a good company with great benefits and those jobs are getting fewer and farther between. So if I left and then decided to go back to work, it's unlikely I'd do as well. It's a major factor in the decision.
Plus we get 11 holidays and I get 5 weeks vacation...I'll be eligible for 6 weeks next year. So even working full time isn't as onerous as it might be...but it still takes a big chunk out of my day.
My cousin worked a deal with his firm where they allowed him to switch to part time work and keep the benes. Now that would be something to consider... 18097. Jenerator - 1/3/2006 11:23:30 PM Ms.No,
Let's have gimlets and pavlova for lunch!
18098. thoughtful - 1/3/2006 11:34:05 PM Then recently in the NYT Nigella Lawson had a recipe for a simple to make molten chocolate baby cakes.
I have a dinner party to plan in Jan and was sorely tempted to make that puppy for dessert. For chocolate lovers only.
But then again that pavlova looks good...could put some ice cream in there or some custard with the fruit on top...drizzle with some melted choc...lots of possibilities there.
18099. Ms. No - 1/3/2006 11:43:25 PM That's one of the things that keeps me at my current job. It's more than a little frustrating. 18100. Ms. No - 1/3/2006 11:44:06 PM Er, health care, not chocolate. I wouldn't bitch about staying for chocolate. 18101. Jenerator - 1/4/2006 12:03:15 AM Tful,
The molten cakes are really good (I'm a longtime Nigella fan). She aso makes a decadent chocolate pavlova! 18102. Jenerator - 1/4/2006 12:04:19 AM Tful,
I like my Pavs with sweet whipped cream and berries - passionfruit is quite good. The sour with the sweet, the smooth with the crunchy.
Mmmmmmmm. 18103. Ms. No - 1/4/2006 1:01:13 AM Devonshire cream and olala berries! 18104. Magoseph - 1/4/2006 2:02:04 AM Charlotte aux fraises soaked with Grand Marnier
 18105. arkymalarky - 1/4/2006 2:56:30 AM Man those are some torturous food shots to be showing two days after New Years Resolutions.
My last day of work before the holidays was 12/16 and today is my first day back. Man is this tough...this is the longest day ever.
That was Bob's break. I went back yesterday and the week is going by fast so far. All that will change when I start two night classes per week in a couple of weeks.
18106. jayackroyd - 1/4/2006 3:41:24 AM We had a local bakery that used to make these things called Boston Cream Pies...they were really one layer of sponge cake covered in a film of vanilla pudding and the top was divided into four sections, each of which were covered with fruit topping: strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, and apple. Then, the edge of the top was piped with white buttercream frosting and the sides of the cake were frosted in chocolate.
One of my earliest on-line acquaintences (in the days of compuserv)was a guy who went by the monicker of Orville Fudpucker. He was a freight pilot based in Plano, TX, and he baked what he called Texas Sized Jelly Doughnuts--18 inch square yeast cakes with a jelly center, ranging from blueberry to jalepeno.
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