The postillion was struck by lightning

Uh-oh. People there is a problem with the NaNoWriMo poll. Namely, there's a big fat tie. Like everywhere.

( Witness the perturbation )

You need to vote in this if you haven't. Vote early, vote often!

OK, so a post or so ago, I said that I was thinking about CC28, which is in 2010* in Milwaukee. That is so much more accessible than either of the coasts for me. Which means the only way I will not be there is if something sudden and horrible happens, like the appearance of Cthulu. Tentacled doom. That's the only thing that will stop me.

So, of course, I'm already thinking of what I'd like to make and wear there. What centuries? What silken insanity? Why am I planning so far ahead? We'll probably never know the answer to that one. (Actually, I do know the answer. So I can save money and sew things.)

What are my ideas? Click and behold!

( There are no bad ideas in brainstorming, Lemon. )

In other news, I made dinner tonight and it was total fail. I don't know what went wrong. Well, I do for one part, but the other two are a little wha-? huh?

I made sweet and sour chicken from a boxed kit and garlic sesame chicken from scratch. So I had a wok and a cast-iron skillet going at the same time, both with chicken in them. I was supposed to add a half-cup of water to the sweet and sour, and 1 1/2 cups to the garlic chicken, and oops! I mixed that up. So the sweet and sour chicken was a little bland because the sauce was way watered down. And then I followed Mom's recipe for the garlic chicken, with 1/4 cup of cornstarch to 1 1/2 cups of water, but that turned out so thick. Like a gel instead of a sauce. I've no idea why. I measured right, I cooked it right, and it just turned out as a gel instead of a sauce. I ended up adding another cup of water to thin it to the right consistency.

And then the rice. I don't know what happened to the rice. I brought it to a boil, put a cover on it, and turned off the heat, which should have resulted in delicious fluffy rice. But instead I got rice that was perfectly cooked on top and still crunchy on the bottom. I don't know . . . That shouldn't happen.

I'm a better cook than that. A way better cook. I just wasn't on my game and I don't know why. It's edible, but not as good as it could have been. *sigh*

_{*In the year 2525, if man is still alive . . .}

How delicious does this sound? Cod fillet, wrapped in pancetta, and served with pan roasted carrots and shallots.

That would also be good with sweet potatoes or rutabagas, I think. Both have natural sweetness.

So. Damn. Hungry. Must think of something to do with cod fillets for dinner. Mom is frying everybody else's, but I don't eat deep-fried fish, so I'm in charge of my own. I usually just bake it in the oven with a dab of butter, pepper, and lemon juice, but I'm contemplating wrapping it in bacon and baking it with shallots and onions, and then sticking it under the broiler when it's done baking to crisp the bacon up a bit. Does that sound like a go to anybody else?

ETA: Must make some day. I will be the only one willing to eat it, but I bet it will be delicious. Ooh, spicy fish! Traditional Italian cooking!

I made oatmeal cookies tonight. They are delicious and crunchy and crisp. The recipe I was using called for three cups of oatmeal, but I only had two, so I crushed up two granola bars with a hammer and added them to the mix. I can barely even tell, and I think I may prefer this version to others I've had.



( Recipe )

Here we have the current works in progress before I trundle off to bed. Or to do other nonproductive things. Whatever. Also, note my awesome new icon. That's the beret rather startingly resembling a mountain.

( Tweed Beret )

( Arctic Diamonds Stole )

We're not going to get into the five or six dresses I currently have in various states of completion.