Girl Friday

Lots of Food Notes

Check out Andrew's blog today for the skinny on Seth Bixby Daugherty's resignation from the industry (BOOOO!), Lenny Russo's response to recent criticisms of Cue, Joan Ida's sabbatical from the scene, and the recipe for 112 Eatery's awesome squash with gorgonzola side (better than their fries, cauliflower fritters, or gnocchi, and it's a cinch to make at home).

Coffee?

Cherry Coke Ban, Day Four

Things aren't going so well.  I've actually had two sodas since I quit four days ago, which makes me a weak, weak woman.  (In my defense, they were both consumed on the same day, as I was battling a three-alarm hangover.)

I've decided to take the advice of Girl Friday reader Kristine and purchase a device known as a "french press".  It appears to be simple in design and function, takes up very little counter space, and can make just one cup of coffee at a time.  The added bonus is that it doesn't have an electrical cord or require a power source.  I'm not quite sure how it works yet, but I'm told I can find one of these curious contraptions, instructions included, at IKEA.

In the meantime, I'm really dragging today and facing a deadline for my advice column that I'm not sure I'll be able to meet for two reasons:

1. I have no questions!  Come on, guys, send me a doozy at advice@vita.mn.
2. I can't stop thinking about Cherry Coke.

In a desperate attempt to caffeinate without opening the coffee maker and filters I bought at Target and will now be returning, I just made a cup using a tea ball, a pyrex measuring glass, two coffee mugs, and a paper towel. 

The end result, I believe, is coffee.  I added some Vanilla Silk for texture, and it's actually not too bad.

[Update: HOLY CRAP, I'M BUZZED!!!1!1!!  From now on, I'll be taking the suggestion of either buying half-caf or mixing my own.]

I Must Have This

The Stuff On My Cat rain hoodie:

More Stuff On My Cat merchandise here.  Awesome.

Things You Drink

Due to my unwillingness to give up drinking beer, I decided to cut out a few extra calories by omitting my daily Cherry Coke instead.  Today was the first official day of no soda and I'm struggling.  I feel not just a little sluggish, but a little mentally slow.  I went out and bought a coffee maker in hopes to develop a taste for that, so I'll be trying an alternate method of caffeination starting tomorrow. 

Though, I haven't quite figured out what to do about a cup of coffee having three times the caffeine content than that of a 12-ounce can of Cherry Coke.  Brew it weak, I suppose?  But then am I hurting my chances of convincing my tastebuds to enjoy coffee?  It seems like everyone drinks coffee but me, so a little help here, please.

Speaking of things you imbibe, I called in to Chowhounds on Saturday because I couldn't resist joining the conversation between Andrew Zimmern, Steve Marsh, and Thom Pham, all in the studio.  It was too tempting to leak some intelligence I have regarding the cocktail list at Thom's soon-to-be-open Temple.  Expect delicious Asian-tropical concoctions similar to what you've come to love at Azia, but with creative new ingredients like soju, honey, and ginseng.  A few honorable mentions that I should be able to publish without getting in too much trouble are the "Canadian Cold" (premium vodka, Canadian iced wine, frozen grapes), the "Korean Hustle" (cucumber-infused soju, basil), and--I kid you not, folks--the "Jenna Jameson" (Jameson, ginger ale, fresh ginger).  The food menu is still top secret, but you can count on me for a little information should I get a sneak peek prior to Temple's official opening date of December 10th.

If you listened to the show, you heard Andrew pointing out that my three favorite men were all in the studio together, and then Steve catching me off guard by requesting that I rank them in preferred order.  I declined to answer at the time, figuring I should sleep on it. 

So what's the answer today?  The same as any good mother's when asked which of her children is her favorite: She loves them all equally, and in different ways.  (Though I've heard the oldest child is always the favorite because there's been more time to form a bond, and, assuming that's true, I'd have to figure out which of my three guys I've known the longest.  The mind reels.)

Drink Up

Happy Biggest Bar Night of the Year, everyone!

My parents live an hour away, which is just close enough that I don't have to spend Thanksgiving Eve at their house, but just far enough that I can't catch up with my high school alumni at JJ's Bowl and Lounge tonight. 

Instead, I'm contemplating doing things a little backwards by heading down to the Bulldog NE tonight and stopping in at JJ's after dinner tomorrow.  I'd better start making the appropriate phone calls to all my boys that never left the 55056 area code.

Then I'll be staying in my apartment for the duration of the weekend, as I loathe Black Friday.  For those of you braving the mobs, please be nice to retail employees.  They'll hate you just a little bit less.

A Few More Photos

Okay, here are the rest of the photos from the Sex and So Much More Show, starting with a real doozy.

I also overheard some questionable parenting choices being made.

BFF!

Just kickin' it with JJ at this year's Sex and So Much More Show.

Thank You

Thanks again to everyone for the kind words and congratulations on my new gig with vita.mn.  Remember, you can pick up a new issue every Thursday, and each one will contain sage (or at least well-intentioned) advice from my column.  Oh, and keep an eye out for more articles from me, too.

If you missed the radio spot with Andrew on Saturday, here are the highlights:

- My secret ingredients for the best deviled eggs are chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and chopped green olives.  Garnish with chopped scallions.

- I'll be working as a Maitre d' two nights a week at Temple.  The restaurant's tentative open date is December 3rd.

- Jamie Oliver is hot.

There might've been some more topics of discussion, since I was on the air for 40 minutes, but I was under-caffeinated at the time, so I can't be expected to remember everything.

Stay tuned tomorrow, when I will hopefully be posting the most awesome photo ever posted to Girl Friday. 

Big Thursday

Whew, lots of stuff to mention today.

First off, if you weren't awake and listening to MPR's Morning Edition at 7:45 today (or haven't already heard the mp3 replay on the website), please take 13 minutes to listen to these great pieces on Chasing Windmills and MNStories:

- "Chasing Windmills" is Pretty Hard Work
- Chuck Olsen on MNStories and MNArtists

Next up, the first issue of Vita.mn's print edition drops today, coinciding (not coincidentally) with the site's launch party at the Fine Line tonight.  Check out the feature article on getting picked up at bars, written by Yours Truly.  And somewhere in there will be a weekly sex and dating advice column, also by moi.

The Vita.mn racks are all around town.  I'm told that, as of this afternoon, you should be able to pick one up just about anywhere you'd grab a City Pages.

Finally, don't forget to tune into Chowhounds this Saturday from 10:00am to noon on 100.3 FM.  I'll be on the show discussing the grueling task of collecting data for the aforementioned article, revealing my secret ingredients for the best deviled eggs anyone has ever had, and spilling everything I know about Temple.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to assemble a sassy outfit for tonight.

Ramblin' On

Why is Minnesota called The Gopher State?  In 29 years, I've yet to see a gopher.  Where are all the gophers?  Why do we need an animal nickname, anyway?  Can't we just be happy with Land of 10,000 Lakes (it's actually more like 15,000, so maybe we should change that, too) or L'Etoile du Nord ("Star of the North")?  The latter is printed on our state flag, for Pete's sake.

And, come to think of it, I've seen our state bird, the Common Loon, just once in my life.  Meanwhile, I dodge Mallard Ducks and Canada Geese on the roads every day because there are so damn many of them around.

Alright, sorry, I'm done.

Two new local blogs this week:

- The Strib's Holifrazzle - Daily tips on dealing with the stress of the season.

- The Minneapoline - A street fashion photo blog, in the style of Sartorialist.

I was reading through the comments on The Minneapoline and I ended up finding this photo of Simon, Marina, and me over at MPLSART:

That's my favorite Pucci!