The Cheri Life

Share the Wealth: Marcel the Shell

2011-12-28T18:47:00.001-05:00

Just watch this - you won't regret it. In fact, you will probably die laughing. Sorry. And FYI, there's one more of these on their youtube channel, so there's more to look forward to!

Guess that Movie Line: Breakfast

2011-12-27T10:09:00.001-05:00

Mad props to anyone who knows what movie the term "Eggy Wegs" comes from when referring to eggs, without Googling it, of course.

Fun Fact: E.T. Walking

2011-12-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

[image copyrighted: source wikipedia]

Foley Artist John Roesch said he used a wet T-shirt crammed with jello to simulate the noise of E.T.'s waddling walk.

Now we know!

This is Why I Love NPR: Stilts

2011-12-27T09:36:00.000-05:00

Last year sometime I started listening to NPR regularly. It's "National Public Radio", akin to watching PBS on TV. They report on a very wide variety of things and I am always interested to hear what they have to say. I learn a lot about the world and the news on there as well, because they report on things in laymen's terms, and that helps me a lot, 'cause usually I don't understand all the jargon on the regular news which makes me end up just tuning it out.

You can find an NPR radio station from pretty much anywhere you live in the country, and it's usually the only thing I listen to in the car, other than books on tape. I just get so sick of the same songs over and over again - and all those damn commercials. One thing I like about NPR is that it's kinda old school, so after a "show" is over, they read the credits to you, down to the person who answers the phone. And when they have "commercials", those are read too, by just some regular journalist from the station.

Anyhow, it's broadcast through a local college channel here in Florida. I find it on 89.7 FM. Usually it's down in those lower frequencies. Whatever. Enough about NPR in general. Just give it a listen.

But the other day they ran a story about stilt-walking. How random is that, but actually I have a lot of experience with stilt-walking, as you may or may not know about me. When I was a kid, my dad made us a pair of stilts (only like a foot high) and we use to walk on those a lot. That was really fun. I actually ended up teaching a neighbor girl how to walk on them as well, and that was our activity of choice when I babysat her.

Something else you may or may not know about me, is that I have a fear (though I'm getting better) of people/things with too long or too short of limbs. This was a running joke some friends used to play on me in high school whenever possible, but it's a real fear. I think that's partly why I don't like spiders too. So the circus clowns on stilts really terrify me, because you can't see the actual stilts. It just looks like they have way long legs. But if I can actually SEE the stilts, I'm good.

This was just a fun story that they ran, and it was nice to listen to because it brought up some childhood memories I hadn't re-visited for a while.

Here's a link to the podcast.

On Success

2011-12-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

"The evidence of success is joy."
- Abraham Hicks

Something to think about.

FOLLOW UP: Crisis in Norway: Butter Shortage!

2011-12-26T10:57:00.000-05:00

Oh my god. Yes!

Let me just say thank you to my girl Chelsea for posting this from the tosh.0 blog. This 'dude' from Norway, a self-proclaimed famous blogger and celebrity, gives us all a piece of his mind about the whole butter shortage. I mean, he's just fun to watch! Check this out and then maybe you'll think twice before ever mocking Norway about their butter again!

Blogger's Note: I have single-handedly contributed about 2,435 of the views on this video.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

2011-12-25T18:20:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all. Yay!

Last night, we hung out with some friends and partied like it was 1999. We listened to some great music, laughed, danced and ate some traditional Cuban food!

Then you KNOW today was good 'cause I only wore "real" clothes for approximately 1.5 hours. We got up and started on our Christmas movie marathon that we do every year now. There's two mandatory ones: "The Family Man" is my favorite, and "Home Alone" is Tamas'. We watched Home Alone first thing, then a friend came over and brought some DE-LICIOUS home-cooked Hungarian food - stuffed cabbage, yum! - and then we went over to the Aunt and Uncles for some more DE-LICIOUS food! I decided to take a break from eating for the next couple hours, though I may supplement with some Kahlua/Eggnog >:] deliciousness. The minute I got home, it was back into movie-marathon-pajamas. Now it's on to "The Family Man" to wrap up our marathon.

This was the first year that Tamas hasn't gone to England to work, so this is the first full year that we're ever spending together. Which is pretty damn sweet. It was so nice to finally get to share all the traditions together.

However you may be spending this Christmas, whether it's with old traditions or new, I hope you have a joyful one.

Confession: Pre-Christmas

2011-12-21T21:53:00.001-05:00

It may or may not be important for you to know the following about me:

I drink eggnog straight out of the carton.

Introducing Moo and Her Quirks

2011-12-19T17:31:00.001-05:00

We got a new cat from the county shelter and named her Moo 'cause she looks like a cow, obvi. She is the best cat in the whole world - just like our other cat Vincent.

Moo likes to eat everything (fitting). And when I say "eat everything" I mean, "rub her nose and tongue all over said food until it is mushy and disgusting and you don't even want to pick it up 'cause it's all contaminated."

Though I did just find out, a few seconds ago, that she does like Terra Sweet Potato chips.

Share the Wealth: Bossa Nova

2011-12-19T16:58:00.001-05:00

It wasn't until pretty recently, probably in the last year or two, that I noticed that I'm kinda into this particular type of music. I mean, let me explain "into":

I used to be the type that would listen to music a lot. There were periods in my life, especially teenage angst-y type periods where I really needed it and it got me through some really tough times. But since then, I mean, I like music, but it doesn't "do it for me" like it used to. I mostly just listen to npr or a book on tape when I'm in the car.

That being said (unnecessarily), I do like a lot of different types of music and definitely love how any genre can instantly put you in a particular mood like nothing else can.

Bossa nova is one of those styles to me. The SECOND I put it on, I'm transformed to another world. I mean, I'm not Brazilian and I only know one person from college who is, though we don't talk much, and I don't know the first thing about Brazil or bossa nova or Portuguese or ANY of that sexy stuff (not including Brazilian waxing which is a torture that no one in their right mind would ever try once, let alone repeat). But what I do know is that when bossa nova comes on, I feel totally alive and relaxed.

Like this wedding my friends and I walked past at the beach recently. Like coffee shops or new romance. Like hot, sultry nights out with a date you're way into, or love- and laughter-filled family parties outside with barbecue. Or that movie Spanglish, even though that chick was Spanish. Or anything Penelope Cruz does (also Spanish, I know). Think: Vicky Christina Barcelona. Like champagne outdoors and twinkly string lights. Like sundresses with sandals and spaghetti straps.

Like that kinda stuff. And that's all really good stuff.

[source: etsy.com]

Fun Fact: Most Annoying Word?

2011-12-18T22:04:00.000-05:00

If you asked 1,026 adults what they think is the most annoying word used as conversation filler, what do you think it would be?

*drum roll, please*.........

Whatever!

Thanks Reuters.

ALERT: Free Shipping Day is Today! Share the Wealth

2011-12-16T08:29:00.003-05:00

[source: freeshippingday.com]

Just found out about this, but you have more than enough time to take advantage of this. There are about a gazillion retailers that are participating in the 4th annual Free Shipping Day. Go to the website and see a comprehensive list of all the participants and easily shop with them and use their codes right away! Like Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Meijer!, Harry & David, Lucky, Kohl's, and all the other ones you can think of!

Perfect for all of your last minute Christmas shopping!! Tell your friends!

www.freeshippingday.com

Enjoy!!

Crisis in Norway: Butter Shortage!

2011-12-15T21:22:00.000-05:00

Of all things.

I mean, who would think that any country would ever be short of butter? It's really tragic for those poor folks in Norway at this point because of the season - people can't make their family desserts! Kinda crappy. Check out this article on Fox news for more information - it's pretty interesting! I especially like this quote:

"Last week, customs officers arrested a butter smuggler with 90 kilograms (200 pounds) stashed away in his car when he crossed the border from Sweden. Hawkers have been offering Swedish butter on the Internet for 400 kroner a kilogram ($32 a pound) -- about six times the normal shop price."

Wish I would have known about this beforehand, Back to the Future-style. Then maybe I coulda gotten in on that racket somehow.

On a related note, you can Google Butter Restaurant in Manhattan and actually look inside that place. Click here to take the easy way there. 'Cause heaven knows opening a new tab and Googling it yourself would be far too much effort. Yer welcome.

On another related note, butter sculpting has been around for a long time.

Caroline S. Brooks with a butter sculpture bas-relief of

Columbus for the 1893 Columbian Exposition.

All Pros Know: Canada Edition

2011-12-13T13:51:00.001-05:00

I am told from very reputable sources the following facts about Canada:

There haven't been mail deliveries on Saturday in Canada in over 40 years! The last one was in 1969.
The word "Canada" comes from an aboriginal language meaning "land," "settlement" or "village." How exciting.
Canadians consume more macaroni and cheese than any other nation on earth.

Now we know!

Share the Wealth: The Nicest Place on the Internet

2011-12-12T20:38:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine from high school posted this link on his Facebook wall the other day and it was...well, what I needed.

Some people probably think it's really corny, but I think it's really something valuable. I am a little sheepish to admit that I can't get through more than 3 or 4 of these without my eyes welling up. Maybe this is because of some turmoil that I have in my life right now, or maybe it's just because of how they "look you in the eyes" like someone you know, but whatever it is - it's comforting. The best part of this is thinking that there are people out there who set this up, and people out there nice enough to contribute. Everyone should have a network of friends like this.

The Nicest Place on the Internet

All Pros Know: Hippo Edition

2011-12-09T12:39:00.001-05:00

Me and you just learned that hippopotamus milk is bright pink.

Share the Wealth: My Panera Rewards

2011-12-09T12:32:00.001-05:00

So I recently signed up for a My Panera card and kept forgetting to register it. Every time I'd go in they'd be like "do you have a My Rewards card" and of course I'd be like "Why yes" and give it to them and EVERY TIME they were like "sorry, you suck, not registered, how freaking long does it take to go online and register we want your personal details go now." So sheepishly I'd take it back/mentally self-flagellate and then continue with my order.

[source: mypanera.com]

I finally got off my lazy ass one day and did it online and as soon as I did, I got a reward! Now that's the kind of instant gratification I'm looking for!

I go to Panera Bread quite a lot actually. My recent fav is their Sonoma Chicken Stew. It's this creamy soup that comes with a dumpling type biscuit inside. It is sooooo amazing and I'm quite smitten! Yummmm.

And EVERY time I use one of the rewards, I automatically get ANOTHER one on the card! It's been so great. First was a free pastry/bakery item. Then I had a free espresso drink (which I used today and am drinking right now, thankyouverymuch) and when I went to check my card right now, I have a FREE BAGEL waiting for me!

They must just really like me.

It probably doesn't give you as many rewards after the first few just to get you all excited, but I thought I'd share my excitement anyhow. Take advantage if you like Panera.

Head Song of the Day

2011-12-08T07:02:00.001-05:00

In a recent episode of Private Practice, Addison Montgomery tells her therapist that she has this stupid song stuck in her head, and he tells her that there are no coincidences with this sort of thing. When you get a particular line stuck in your head, it means something.

Then I wonder what it means that I have Lenny Kravitz repeatedly singing "Baby, it ain't over till it's oooooverrrrrrr" first thing this morning.

file source

All Pros Know

2011-12-07T21:15:00.001-05:00

The palms of your hands and the soles of your feet cannot tan or grow hair.
Phew. Glad to know. 'Cause I was starting to worry.

Chik-Fil-A is irresistable.

2011-12-06T21:01:00.001-05:00

We live in the south and there are a lot of Chik-Fil-A fast food restaurants. I eat as healthfully as I can, but Chik-Fil-A is the one thing I won't give up. I mean, you can tell it's real chicken and it just tastes sooo good. And a marketing strategy based on cows urging you to "Eat Mor Chikin"...that's just too persuasive.

But the one thing I get a little peeved about is how much this company sticks to the owner's Southern Baptist values. They're closed on Sundays (I can't tell you how many times I've shown up there on a Sunday to an empty parking lot - if God were human, I bet he'd be bummed too) and they're against gay marriage. I mean, c'mon. It makes it so hard to like them, but then I think about their chicken nuggets and chocolate shakes and I just get weak in the knees. Or weak values, whatever.

Anyhow, all this to give background for the fact that Tamas ate there twice in one day last week. One full meal for lunch: a sandwich, fries and a shake and then no less than 24 chicken nuggets for dinner plus fries plus an Arnold Palmer to drink.

Bordering on insanity much?

Love,

New Jersey Invasion

2011-12-01T20:58:00.001-05:00

Have some dear friends coming in from New Jersey tomorrow and I'm way excited. A great friend from college and her awesome boyfriend. So the next 5 days will be full of fun-filled touriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii(my cat typed that) touristy things that I al5555555555555556 (hey, Mooooo! Knock it off!)...that I always mean to do but never do because I live here.

Reporting more on that later. For now - I'm going to watch an episode of Friends in Hungarian with Hungarian subtitles so I can pick up a word or two on my way to finally learning this terribly difficult language. I just couldn't take the easy road and marry a Frenchman - or even better an American?! Nooooo, had to follow my HEART.... :P

Happy 200th Post Day

2011-11-29T23:38:00.001-05:00

That's right. The big 2-0-0. I'm kind of a big deal.

And what did I want to post about today? Something funny I saw on one of my favorite blogs - thatwhitebitch.com. I wish she'd named her blog something else, because it never looks appropriate to have that title among the tabs of your browser, but it's not a naughty blog or anything. I love her writing style and I think she's hilarious. Anyhow, the post was about a new show on TLC about couples getting married as virgins and how some of them have never even kissed before the wedding. And that's just hilarious 'cause when you watch them kiss the for the first time, it's completely brutal. Slash entertaining. Like they're literally trying to eat each other's faces and it makes me think about how weird kissing really is. Like, "I like you so much that I'm just going to rub my lips all over yours." Sooo creepy. And fun.

The Beauty of Stress

2011-11-28T19:46:00.001-05:00

I've got this pattern now, happens about once a year, where I get really stressed out for any unnamed reason and I wake up with a sore jaw (no wisecracks). It must be from gritting my teeth because I can barely open my mouth (some say it's a blessing) and it's really painful to eat for like a week. Anyhow, I've got that now, so I'm wearing a night splint that I got made custom last year for these special occasions. Reminds me of Michelle Pfeiffer in "The Story of Us" when she's all "Sch'my bite plate."

And it's hot. Fashion photo shoot follows:

Don't you just love the attention to detail in this shoot? The hair and make-up and wardrobe. I mean, c'mon. Hotness.

Bug WMD

2011-11-27T22:38:00.001-05:00

On a recent trip to Miami, we stopped at the Bass Pro Shop to look around because that is like porn for us. I could look around camping equipment sections at any store for hours, and Tamas loves to check out the guns and deep fryers. You know, typical, classy Florida-type items.

So after like an entire hour of browsing, Tamas finally settled on one particular item that he could not live without. We scanned like 100,000 square feet of outdoor recreational items and he came up with The Amazing Fly Gun. I'm not kidding you, this thing is really... *cough*awasteofmoney*cough* amazing. Yep. He was literally dying to try it out, and had to practice on a poor, unsuspecting mosquito that got trapped in the car when we left. For some reason, he was having some trouble with his technique tho, and never successfully killed it. Oh well, there's more flies out there, I reassured him.

Btw, if you doubt the amazing-ness of this gun, you better go to the website - THAT is even MORE amazing. Straight outta the late 90's this site is. And the copy is even more incredible. And I quote:

"Want to know how to get rid of flies whilst enjoying yourself... wondering how to kill mosquitoes with a smile ?"

That's some quality writin' there. See for yourself, but don't be alarmed by the bug Weapons of Mass Destruction reference - pretty sure they are just joking! Phew!

Anyhow, in the car, Tamas kept practicing his "loading" technique and I guess it was just a little too much for this bug WMD because he cracked the loading mechanism. I don't know how that happened - this thing is obviously made of extremely high-grade plastic. Oh well. The best part was when we got home after the drive, and Tamas said in a very realistically tragic tone:

"But I didn't even get to kill one fly!"

I fell on the floor laughing mostly because he was really seriously upset that he didn't get to kill any flies with it. Deciding to blog about it was mistake though, because this happened like 2.5 months ago and I've had this stupid gun sitting on my nightstand to remind myself for this whole time when it's true home was the trashcan.

Now I can finally throw the damn thing out. Free at last.

Hungarian Dobos Torte

2011-10-03T21:38:00.005-04:00

Tamas' 29th Birthday came and went on the 24th of September. I got him a fishing charter, two people for a half day in Miami. He loves ocean fishing, especially for sharks, and since he hasn't been able to partake in quite a while, I thought this would be the perfect gift. That and it was half off on Groupon, so I couldn't pass it up.

Then I got this hare-brained idea a couple days before that I would attempt a traditional Hungarian dessert for his birthday. Always trying to gain Hungarian Points, the glutton for punishment and sucker for approval that I am, I saw the recipe on my favorite food blog (Smitten Kitchen) and I knew it had to be done.

Just reading the recipe though, I got a bit intimidated - this freaking cake is intense. It's called Dobos Torte (pronounced something like [dobosh torta]) and it means Drum Cake from the traditional shape. Deb, the blogger, adapted it from some traditional recipes, so I knew it'd be really good and somewhat close to authentic, if a different shape. If you look at the finished product, you'll see - it's a very intricate cake. The design I chose is an eleven layer cake with these really cool candied stars on top. Real art, I'd say.

If only my stars ended up lookin' like this. *sad face*

The funny part is though, I've never baked anything more complicated than a boxed brownie. But for some reason I have no fear when it comes to this cooking stuff, so I was pretty confident. I'm not sure brazen fearlessness was the appropriate mindset exactly, as you'll discover if you keep reading, but I went for it anyway. It's a bit of a lie to say I don't know how to make desserts - I have been taught and make a pretty mean Baklava (part of my roots are Syrian) but that's kinda different. I mean, I grew up learning to make that dessert, and though it is really crazy and intense in it's own way, I learned from the best which makes the learning curve a lot less steep.

The challenge laid ahead. This would be all on my own. This would be...[insert dramatic music and end of sentence here].

So I took Deb's advice and made the cake part the day before and froze it. I knew that I wanted to give myself extra time in case it was a disaster so I could try, try again. I'd had a little help before having watched my Hungarian mother-in-law make a nice fancy cake, so some of the techniques like whipping up a cholesterol bath of egg yolks and whites into batter and frosting were slightly familiar to me. I dug in and got going.

The cake part went well. I'd read a lot of the comments on Deb's blog, so that helped a LOT. Seeing others mistakes and advice really made me feel a bit better. It took me about 2 hours to get just the cake part done. I'd detail it more here, but really, that's unnecessary since Smitten Kitchen does it so well already.

I almost made a video of it too - like a cooking show type thing. But man, this cake was nerve-wracking enough without the added logistics of a cooking show. You'll have to make do with the few pics I remembered to take.

The kitchen carnage. Had to do dishes twice during.

Yeah, mathematics are involved. What?

Frozen cake layers made ahead of time, all wrapped up.
I'm beyond proud here that I even got this far.

I admit, at this stage I was a bit nervous, because I accidentally baked half the layers for about a minute or two too long. They're THIN so that much time makes a huge diff. I sorta freaked out all night that it was gonna be ruined. Some of them were way thin in parts and they cracked in half almost. In this measuring tape pic above, I recall that I actually turned some of them over so you couldn't see the bottom because they were a bit dark/burnt and I didn't want Tamas seeing them and thinking I was an utter domestic failure. But actually, the cake turned out just fine so you can take a deep breath now and Martha Stewart you can eat my dust. The thin layers were completely and absolutely unnoticeable. Once you assemble it, and it gets to rest all put together, it really absorbs moisture from the other layers and frosting, so you don't need to worry at all! Oh the drama!!!

My favorite part, of course - the FROSTING and when I say frosting

I mean 25 parts egg yolk 1 part chocolate. Yum.

Assembly begins. Definitely the way funnest part.

It takes energy and movement!

And precision.

And strength of character! AND CONVICTION!!! PASSION!!

And a real love for that hubby of mine.
Didja note the supervisor in the background?

Here's where the goin' got rough. Once I'd popped the sucker in the freezer to set the frosting a bit, I went to work on the "stars". You can really make them any shape you'd like. The traditional cake is nothing like what Deb chose to do. Or me for that matter - though my choice was more of....an....un-choice....

I went to make the caramel melted sugar topping. Basically, once you melt the sugar right, it gets poured on a layer of the cake you've set aside. Then once it cools for 3-4 seconds, you make the shapes and then let it harden the rest of the way like a cakey-candy like topping. It'd be really cool if you could get it on the first go.

But see, I didn't see any specification for how hot to have the stove. First attempt: too hot. The sugar turned from liquid back to solid sugar in 1.3 seconds and I had no idea what hit me. So I varied the heat again, and started over. This time, I panicked a bit too early and poured the sugar too quick - it didn't work and turned back into sugar granules AGAIN once it cooled over the cake.

Here's where I flipped my lid. Ya know, I'm not a baker. And I'd been pumping this cake up in my head for a while, not to mention working on it for 4 hours at this point. All I wanted to do was have it be a success - I mean, I'd come this far, dangit. So then I sorta had a meltdown. Tamas, the ever-gallant hero knight-in-shining armor type that he is, comforted me, (yeah, I actually cried) let me know it was okay if it wasn't perfect - no really Cheri - and offered to help out. I was like, okay Doogie Howser boy genius, show me how it's done.

And wouldn't ya know it - a calm demeanor really did help cause he got that sugar to do what it was told on the very first try. It dissolved, turned amber and came out the perfect consistency to make some really funky shapes out of the first attempt that I halfway-ruined.

And that to me was the best outcome of all - we pulled it together as a couple, and figured that sucker out. Sorry, but I can't give him all the credit though - I'd worked out the kinks beforehand and let's face it, spent 4 hours previous for him to come in and save the day in the bottom of the ninth. All in all though, I'm just so relieved that it wasn't a complete disaster.

Tamas saving the day - and my sanity. "This is so easy babe - duh."

Weird shapes.

Yum - candy sugar!

See the correct sugar on the bottom - the complete mess up top. DO OVER!

The crazy looking finished cake. I won't mention that I sorta ran out of frosting too,

so it wasn't quite smooth, but you'd never know from this crappy picture,

so just pretend I didn't say anything. Thanks.

What fancy slices!

A seriously cool cake.

In the end, we'd shared the cake with Hungarian friends and they said it was totally amazing. Tamas actually sincerely said that it was better than any Dobos Torte he'd ever had back home. And that, folks, was all that mattered to me.

Happy 29th again, my love. Ask me to make it ever again and I'll break your legs.