Girl Friday

Almost State Fair Time

There's only one day left in July, which means it's only hours 'til August, which means the State Fair is coming!

As indicated by the above exclamation point, I thoroughly enjoy the Great Minnesota Get Together.  I was perusing the website today and, for the first time, was struck with the idea to actually buy a Blue Ribbon Bargain Book.  They're apparently only $4.00, but you get a bunch of crazy deals, including return entry for another day at $5.00 (tickets at the gate are $11.00, advance tickets are $8.00).

Someone at The Sample Circuit is doing a helluva job at marketing, as I haven't been able to hit a blog or even log into Myspace without hearing about their next event.  It actually sounds like fun, though, so I'll go ahead and plug it too.  If you're unfamiliar with The Sample Circuit (and I was, until last week when I noticed them setting up an event at Temple), they throw happy hour-type events at great restaurants, where you can sample a wide array of the restaurant's menu items, along with cocktails and wine courtesy of the respective sponsors. 

Looks like events are $38.00, but advance tickets are $25.00.  This week's events are at Spill the Wine (Wednesday) and Mission American Kitchen (Friday).  A full listing can be found here.

Har Mar Renovation (Or: I Just Made Sarah Buckley's Day)

Hooray!

Work is set to begin next week on an ambitious plan by the new owners of the Har Mar Mall to redevelop and find new tenants for the Roseville retail center.

Babies Eating Lemons

What can I say, it's been a slow blogging week.  Actually, it's been a slow couple of weeks for just about everything, aside from work-work-work. 

Did anybody go to the GFK show at the Varsity last night?  Who's going to see Wu Tang at Rock the Bells next month?

I'm heading out to a long-ish day at aforementioned work, so I'll leave you with the funniest thing I've seen all week.  I watched it four times in a row: Babies Eating Lemons.  I challenge you to do better than that.

More Cat Secrets

Three more cat secrets, because you asked for them.  (Okay, you didn't, but hopefully someone gets some use out of these tips).

- I don't buy fancy litter-catcher mats for Felicia's litter box.  Instead, I go to Home Depot and have them cut about two square feet of cut-to-fit industrial runner rug, which runs me about three bucks.  I realize it's not very eco-friendly to just buy a new piece every couple of months (when I clean and sanitize the litter box), but it sure makes things a lot easier and more pleasant.

- Not an epic discovery, since it's printed right on the side of the can, but if I spray Static Guard on the area rug and furniture before vacuuming, the hair comes off much easier.

- This tip courtesy of Felicia's vet, Dr. Sturmer at Parkview Cat Clinic: I sprinkle a little powdered fiber on her spoonful of Ecofish canned salmon every couple of days.  The fiber assists massively in passing hairballs and the fish is essential to maintaining overall optimum kitty health.  Doc says all cats should be on all-wet food diets, but my little weirdo likes her crunchy dry stuff every day, too.

Cat Secrets: The FURminator

This post is a ringing endorsement for the FURminator.  Though the utility of this incredible de-shedding tool is not fully appreciated by Her Majesty the Queen Bitchy Von TouchMeAgainWithThatThingAndDie (pictured above, cuddling with Squirrel), I'm here to tell you that every pet household should have one of these suckers.  I chose not to visually document our little grooming session yesterday out of sensitivity to her utter shame of being surrounded by tiny charcoal mountains of undercoat (really, you could see it in her eyes), so you'll just have to trust me when I say that the $37.99 price tag was well worth it.

I checked in with one of the groomers at Petco before making the purchase, and she said I wouldn't be disappointed.  Boy howdy, was she right!  Even though the de-shedding process was cut short by some hissing and biting, I probably got 75% of the dead fur off.  I can't wait to get back at it today.

Speaking of experts in their respective fields, mad props to Andrew Zimmern for his recommendation on what to do with my overripe bananas that doesn't involve turning on the oven.  I had a few friends over Saturday night for a blended tropical drinks mini-party and everyone thought his recipe was perfect.  I had to mod two things: I used Bacardi 8 instead of Barbancourt 25 (I couldn't even find Barbancourt 15), and I used Goya coconut cream instead of Coco Lopez (couldn't find that either, oddly), but I stayed true to the rest and the result was pure bliss.

Reverse Reader Mailbag: Overrun with Overripe Bananas

Dearest Chandrew,

I'm wondering what to do with the overripe bananas I almost inevitably have at the end of every week.  In cooler months, I just whip up easy banana breads/muffins/cupcakes and snack on them for breakfast or feed my friends. But in the summer, when I generally refuse to turn on the oven, I find myself pitching the bananas in the trash.  Even with the central air blasting, my small kitchen becomes unbearably hot, and we're about to endure the hottest week of the summer (according to the local news, anyway).

So what can I do with my overripe bananas that doesn't require turning on the oven?  I'm not entirely opposed to using the stove top, and I'd also be interested in any sort of outdoor grilling ideas.

Love always,

Big A

I am shocked Big A... really.

Take your bananas and place two in a large blender along with a few handfuls of ice. Add about a 1/4 cup of Coco Lopez, the juice of a lime, any other fruit you have lying around (strawberries or mangoes work nicely but neither is necessary) and puree, drizzling in a few jiggers of 25-year-old Barabancourt rum if you have some lying around.

Xx

a

Dirty Three

- Congrats to Diablo Cody!  "Showtime has given a pilot order to 'The United States of Tara,' a single-camera comedy from Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television... Diablo Cody ("Juno") is writing and producing..."

- The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts tomorrow.  I have to work all day, but I'll probably go Sunday so I can bother my sister, who will be making a guest appearance in Handbags.

- Mark Pritchard: "Too bad [Elizabeth Edwards] isn't the one running [for President]".  If you don't know who Mark is, go buy one of his books or read some excerpts via his blog and find out why I adore him so much.

Check Me on The Andrew Zimmern Show

If you didn't already know, The Big AZ (not to be confused with The Big Easy) is back on 107.1 FM every day with a brand new radio show that covers more than just culinary topics. 

I'm in studio and on the air around 2:00 this afternoon, so listen in.  We're covering the all-important subject of etiquette when documenting sex acts either by cell phone or Handycam.  Maybe some other stuff, too.

Tighter than J Lo in Her Jeans

Happy 30th birthday, M.I.A.!

Brown High-heeled Sandal Score

I've been looking for a sexy, brown, high-heeled sandal the last couple of months, but haven't been able to find one that doesn't make me look like the type of person who really enjoys camping.  I've been eyeing this pair of Betsey Johnsons on Zappos.com, but couldn't bring myself to spend $160.00 on them:

But then I stopped in at Heavenly Soles today and found a similar pair, with even more versatility.  Plus, they were on sale for $54.00:

Score!

In less happy news, the TJ Maxx at HarMar Mall is now closed, leaving the mall feeling sad and quiet.  Well, even more sad and quiet than before.  Those of us who frequented this ghetto paradise for crazy deals on high-end bath and beauty products are pouring out a dollop of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honey Drops Body Cream for our fallen homie.  Luckily, the HarMar Marshall's and Sun Ray TJ Maxx over in St. Paul are both still alive and kicking.