Perplexed

Weekdays start at 6:01 am for me. Well, to be honest, they actually start at 5:44 am -- for some reason we set our alarm clock ahead 17 minutes -- have never been able to figure out why, just too darn lazy (and forgetful) to change. A creature of habit I guess. Anyway, I digress. So when the alarm clock annoyingly SCREAMS every morning I roll out of bed followed closely by the puppy monster. We then trek around Glenside in the dark as Val does her business and I wake up. Then back to the house and as Val inhales her breakfast I clean out some email that has accumulated overnight while watching the local morning news...perplexed.

I sit watching the news at 6:12 am (remember, this is a routine so it's like clockwork) and can't help but wonder why TV news broadcasts put such an emphasis on traffic reports of all things. Fancy sensors and cameras showing average speeds, accidents, car fires, police activity, etc. But for the people on the road driving, why the heck would they care about traffic reports? I mean come on -- they're already in their cars and stuck in the mess! It's not like they have a TV in their car! And same goes for the afternoon broadcasts -- wow, these television traffic reports are a big help for the people already in their cars sitting in traffic. Hey Mr. TV Traffic Correspondent, here's a news flash for you, PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TVS IN THEIR CARS. But I guess if they did the roads would be better navigated as people watch the latest traffic reports on their way to or from work, right? Gimme a break.

A perfect example of a traffic report (look at the time):

Attached at the hip...

So Val has developed this new idiosyncrasy where she always nestles herself in between and right up against us as we prepare food in the kitchen (see exhibit A). We like to think that it is because she likes to be near us, but unfortunately we understand her motive -- hoping for splashes, spills or crumbs.

Cheese Soufflé

I have been longing for my mom's famous soufflé and finally found the recipe and the courage to to make it. So this past Sunday Julie and I went to work separating eggs, double-boiling milk, flour, butter and cheese, whipping egg whites, blending the separated yolks, etc. This my friend was one of the most complicated endeavors that we have ever embarked on in the kitchen (well, Julie in the kitchen is a complicated endeavor in itself), and the bottle of Shiraz only made things a bit more challenging and at the same time quite exciting.
Anyway, after one hour and 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven the masterpiece emerged. And no Kenney-style cheese soufflé dinner would be complete without the traditional stewed tomatoes as a side dish. Wow, what can I say, it was everything that I expected it to be and the taste quickly brought me back to the family dinners that I remember like they were yesterday. Perhaps soufflé is an acquired taste because Julie did not care for it too much, but I loved it. Delish!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has a special meaning for us. It happens to be the day that started our entire relationship. That's right, six years ago on Valentine's Day was our first date. We went to Black Sheep in Philadelphia for dinner, had a low key dinner while getting to know each other and then played darts and pool till the bars closed - such a fun night (and seems like yesterday). And little did we know that crab cakes, drinks, more drinks, several games of darts, pool and more drinks (hiccup) would turn into happily ever after.

Oh, and some trivia, many of you may not know that the puppy monster Val is actually named after this special day. No...she is not named after Val Kilmer.

Because Julie was away in Pittsburgh on Valentine's day we celebrated on Saturday and went out to dinner at the Joseph Ambler Inn -- cool place, a bit rustic and fantastic food. We had an amazing bottle of wine (Silver Oak cabernet), Julie had ribs (off the bone) and I had a flat iron steak -- delish! We finished with dessert - creme brulee and peanut butter parfait...and we loved every minute of it just like the past six years of our lives. A perfect night, even if it wasn't the "official" Valentine's day.

Poor Ms. Big Lips

Dart Score 2-1

We've been meaning to post about our night out with Devon and Jonathan two weekends ago. No...the above picture is not from that night (I wish). The picture above is from their wedding rehearsal brunch in Carlsbad, CA...much better picture than what my blackberry took.

We started the night off at Eulogy in Olde City. I started to talk smack about Brian and my dart game during dinner and Jonathan was eager for the competition. Brian and I had been practicing at home over the summer, and I actually had been beating Brian, so it seemed to be a no brainer that we would bring home a victory.

We scarfed down our dinner and headed down the block to shoot some darts. I wish that the 2-1 score was in our favor, but to my embarrassment - we lost. That Devon had a little trick up her sleeve. Despite the loss, we had a good time. But next time...game on!

Saaaweeeeet!

Pitchers and catchers reported today. Can't wait to watch the Phils in the playoffs again this year from Stone Harbor. Although this year, we will win!

Ms. Big Lips

We found Ms. Big Lips at PetSmart on Saturday and ever since her arrival home, she and Val have been inseparable.

Ms. Big Lips is just your average doll made of regular fabric. But what separates her from all the others is an ingenious design. You insert an empty plastic water bottle into the center so she makes hours upon hours of crinkle noise as she is flung all over the house -- especially at real fun times of the day, like 6 am.

Unfortunately, we don't expect Ms. Big Lips to remain intact too long.

Super Bowl

So what does wet paint have to do with the Super Bowl -- it's actually quite simple. It's what I would have rather been watching on Sunday night versus a game featuring two teams that I despise. Oh, wait a minute, I can think of a few more interesting activities than the game like counting the number of holes in a 4'x4' ceiling tile or sliding down a razor blade sliding board into a pool of rubbing alcohol...or, better yet, getting caned. I guess the only saving grace was that the New England Cheaters lost the biggest game of the season. HA!

Best Friends

Chicken Parm to the Rescue

We had Christina and Travis over for dinner on Saturday - we were well overdue for a get together. When Christina has us over, she makes the most delicious dinners (Brian will rave about them for weeks) and last time was no different - she made the most decadent Chicken Marsala.

So as you can imagine, Brian and I were a bit stressed...what would we make to impress and rival the competition. We went back and forth on Brian's winning pot roast and my favorite kabobs, but the Food Network became our saving grace when we chose Tyler Florence's Chicken Parmesan.

As I have mentioned before, I'm not a big cooking fan so Brian and I end up doing all the cooking together (well, more Brian than me). It was actually fun making something we haven't made before. We made the sauce that consisted of onions, garlic, fresh basil, crushed tomatoes, and kalamata olives. Then we prepared the chicken - coating it in a flower, egg, and breadcrumb bath before pan searing in olive oil.

For dessert we chose Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler - it only involved half a stick of butter, so we thought it would be okay. We did serve Lipitor on the side.

Travis brought a nice Cabernet that paired nicely with the meal and we sat down for what we believed could stand up against Christina's Chicken Marsala.

I figured we were successful when both Christina and Travis got up for seconds. So I guess you could say, that we are tied 1-1. Not that this is a competition or anything, but the pressure is back on Christina.

We're looking forward to heading over to the Earhart's for the next challenge, I mean get together.