Sad Giraffe

Another day, another dollar, another packed lunch. Work continues to kick my ass. I know, I know, it's called work for a reason. Nobody bitches about having to go sit on the couch, but good gravy it's just making me so sad. Of course it's not like I really expect it to be cotton candy fun, but I could sure use a break. Well, enough about me, let's look at what I ate!



1. tragically overcooked strip steak, sliced thin
2. smoked gouda
3. the sandwicheriffic Bagel Thins - speaking of Bagel Things, did there used to be something else called Bagel Thins that was most certainly not -these- Bagel Thins? I'll have to think on that for a while. Moving on -
4. tiny pepper stuffed with chive cream cheese
5. some maters
6. asianesque cucumber salad made with Soy Vay Island Teryaki because I am just that clever and also had no sesame oil
7. Maille whole grain mustard, and plenty of it
8. sad giraffe because I didn't have a tiny fork with a plastic representation of a crying baby Jesus which really would have been more appropriate

Bagel Thins - Not So Bad

Not so bad. How's that for a ringing endorsement? Honestly I'm just not the sort of person that effuses too much about much of anything, much less a packaged bread product. I'll do my best.

But! These Bagel Thins things, not so bad! Not as good as a real bagel, but only like 1/4 the calories too - course that's because you only get like 1/4 the bagel (hence the THINS part). There's no need to be chintzy with the sandwich fixin's. You can pile that baby up and still be able to fit into your pie hole, no problemo.

And! It's the very best part of the bagel, the top, and the bottom. It did occur to me that I could just get regular bagels for about half the price and just cut a thin slice of each side and get pretty much the same thing.

Plus! The middles - I could make croutons. It would be like getting FREE salad accouterments! Then I remembered I'm lazy.



1. turkey and smoked gouda on a bagel thin
2. some other crap
3. a cookie! yay! cookies!

I get a little more enthusiastic about cookies. Clearly.

I Killed Mrs. Weaver

You know what happens when you send two guys to Costco right? Not only do you end up with 15 pounds of jumbo shrimp and 30 pounds of limes, you also get 9 pounds of shredded cheese.

Know what you do with 9 pounds of shredded cheese? You make a whole buttload of quesadillas. And when you tire of that, you make pimento cheese.

But maybe you don't actually use pimentos because you have peppadews on hand, and you like them better. And maybe you don't use mayonnaise because you don't have any store bought and you can't make any because you kid heard about the big salmonella egg scare of 2010 and threw out your eggs in one bold death-cheating move. But you might have a small container of greek yogurt, and you might have a jalapeno so maybe you mix those up. And then maybe you eat it on a cracker. And maybe it's good. And it is.



1. cheese spread
2. celery
3. little peppers
4. olives glistening with oil
5. crackers

Meatloaf. Yay!

I think I've only ever actively -wanted- to eat meatloaf twice in my entire life. The first was last night, today was the second.



1. meatloaf
2. frizzled onions covering smashed potatoes
3. ketchup. it's how I roll

Salsa, No Chips

There was some other stuff here too, some grilled halibut and green beans and rice, but the salsa was the star. You can tell by the way I only took a picture of the salsa. Okay, the real reason there's just salsa in the picture is because I inadvertently got some confidential work stuff in the frame. Yes, I am a star. And really, fish is fish, right? And that salsa was fabulous.




1. pineapple and peach salsa*

*Two small peaches, about a cup of pineapple chunks, a little red onion, some jalapeno and lime juice.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

...that a mom bought at Wal-Mart, pretty much everyone involved will regret it.



1. inferior blueberry muffin
2. grapes
3. plum
4. magic disappearing chocolate

So two guys walk into Costco ...

and you end up eating shrimp cocktail for a week. Moral? Don't send two guys to Costco to buy stuff for shrimp cocktail. Duh.



1. the last cup of shrimp cocktail
2. the next to last tostada
3. what should have been the last avocado two days ago

The Way I Like My Cars & My Women

Are you watching The Next Food Network Star? I am. And I'm totally in love with Aarti. And I love saying her name. With her accent. In my head of course. It would be weird to sit around saying her name out loud. Clearly. Anyway.



1. chicken curry
2. rice
3. my beloved mixed pickle
4. vat of yogurt

I used a new product for this curry - Kitchens Of India Curry Paste . The verdict? Not bad. Not bad at all. I added onions, because I think it's some kind of curry law that you must have onions, but that's really it. Fast and easy.

Oh my gosh! I didn't mean to say Aarti's fast. Or easy! What the hell do I know? I drive a Civic, and I never even ever had a woman! I blame the margarita.

A Bucket of Lunch

Someone commented on my lunchbucket on my way out of work today, showing me her tote bag stuffed with empty storage containers. "That would -never- be big enough for me!" I just smiled, and walked on.



1. cheese sandwiches
2. bunch of baby tomatoes
3. almonds
4. plum
5. avocado and lettuce for sandwich enhancing
6. big chunk o' chocolate

The Way to My Heart? Pretzel Bread. And Meat.

I haven't been feeling well. The plague, clearly. Anyway. He went out to eat with a friend and asked if I wanted him to bring me something. I said that if they had a kid's meal slider on a pretzel bun special to get me one. I know you probably didn't understand that, but he did. And they didn't. But look what he got them to make for me instead! Filet sliders with ooozy havarti on pretzel bread breadsticks. The heart swoons does it not?



1. filet sliders on pretzel bread
2. hummus and pita chips
3. pickles and a plum