Well, took Marie to see the doctor again, and it's good news and bad news. The good news is that the ankle is finally healing properly, so no more worries about being permanently crippled. The bad news is at least 4 more weeks in the hospital, which means she will miss Thanksgiving. We're still holding out hope that she will be able to come home in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, working on this week's Weekday Escape. Hope you guys like this one!

Current Mood: optimistic

And the bad news continues. The x-rays show that the fall Marie had on Sunday completely tore apart the surgical repairs and broke even more bones in her ankle. She just had another surgery yesterday adding more pins, screws, a metal plate, and wires to hold the shattered bone together. She is now facing a minimum of 6 weeks in a rehab hospital, as she needs someplace with 24 hour care and wheelchair access.

Happy birthday to me. :-(

Current Mood: sad

Things were going well with Marie, she was able to hobble around a little with her walker, then Sunday night she accidentally came down on the leg that wasn't supposed to have any weight and hurt herself badly. Now, we're off to the doctor today, hopefully to hear that she hasn't re-injured the ankle. Meanwhile, working on two reviews for JayisGames, one for Friday, one for Monday. I think folks are really going to like the one for Monday.

Current Mood: hopeful

This has been the week from hell, and it's only Wednesday. On Monday I woke up to a phone call from Marie. She had fallen down the stairs on her way out in the morning, then fallen again at work. She ended up in the hospital with a broken leg and ankle. Surgery was supposed to take place that day but got moved to Tuesday, where they pinned and screwed her ankle back together. She has to have 6 weeks of absolutely no weight on it, so I'm unsure how we're going to manage when she comes home. Meanwhile, I've been spending most of my free time at the hospital, so I've had no time to work on anything for JayisGames. I feel badly for letting them down.

Ah well, off to the hospital again. I'm torn because I want Marie home, but I'm not sure how it will go once she gets here. I'm in for six weeks of patient care, which I've done before when she was recovering from her surgery years ago. Still, it will be nice to have her home soon.

Current Mood: depressed

Still busy as all get out, still unemployed. I'm working on two reviews and a walkthrough for the weekend, I really need to get going.

::sigh:: Okay, I finally caved and opened a twitter account. If anyone cares they can follow me on @grinnyp. If I remember to update. ;D

Current Mood: apathetic
Current Music: "Hallelujah" Rufus Wainwright

Having trouble with level 12? Here's a screenshot


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For someone who has been out of work as long as I have, I've been a very busy girl. Written more reviews and walkthroughs for JayisGames, been out on several interviews, and been trying to figure out what to do with all this chicken in the freezer. If anyone wants to read my stuff at jayisgames.com they can go to my archive at http://jayisgames.com/archives/grinnyp-1/. Meanwhile, I think Chicken Cordon Bleu...

Current Mood: apathetic
Current Music: "Hold on Hope" Guided by Voices

I was at loose ends the other night for dinner as we don't have much in the house and couldn't go grocery shopping until this weekend.  Came up with Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Feta Cheese, Cauliflower Mash, and candied carrots.  Not bad.

Pork tenderloin is such a delicate piece of meat, only 2 - 3 inches in diameter and easily overcooked.  And it's hard to stuff it with something without overwhelming the taste of the meat.

The cauliflower mash was an experiment, and one I think I'll try again with a few modifications.  I think boiling the cauliflower pieces in stock might give it more flavor, rather than boiling in plain salted water.

Tonight?  Barbecue at a family gathering.  Darn, and I was hoping to pull out the scallops tonight . . .

Tags: cooking
Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "Where Do the Children Play" Cat Stevens

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks.  Somehow I managed to get invited to participate in my favorite gaming site, Jayisgames.com and have already posted a review and three walkthroughs!  Yes, being unemployed I have too much time on my hands.  If you'd like to read my oh-so-stilted writing style you can find my work here:

My review of Treasure Seekers 2.  Note the goofy photo!
My walkthrough for Escape From Paradise 2.  That was a long one!
My mini-walkthrough for Toybox.  This is a very creepy game!  Be warned if you play it, there's a lot of blood, implied violence, and other nastiness.  Definitely not for kids.
My mini-walkthrough for Mystery House in Japan.  Can you tell I like "escape the room" type games?  :-)

If you like casual gaming of any type, please check out JayisGames.  They are the best!

Tags: games
Current Mood: ditzy
Current Music: "Bratja" The Moscow International Symphony Orchestra

I've already established that I am a bit of a food snob when it comes to certain things.  However, there are some shortcuts I will happily take, and one of them is using Bisquick.  Yes, it is better to make your own biscuits fresh, and yes, I do know how to do so.  However, being out here it can be difficult to find White Lily Flour which is my preferred ingredient when making biscuits.  So I use Bisquick for biscuits, dumplings, impossible cheeseburger pie, and occasionally pancakes. 

I just got an e-mail request from Marie, she figured we're having leftovers for dinner tonight, so she wants fresh cheesy biscuits to go with.  Basically this is my attempt to recreate the lovely cheesy-garlic biscuits that you can get at Red Lobster which Marie loves dearly.  Unfortunately we can't afford to eat there often.  Fortunately I was able to come up with this recipe, which anyone can do.

A note on the cheese:  I know I've ranted about this before, but seriously, buy real cheese and grate it yourself.  It doesn't take much effort and the rewards are many.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

2 1/4 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 - 1 cup grated sharp cheddar (depends on how cheesy you like it)
1/4 cup melted butter
garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together the Bisquick and milk quickly.  Add the shredded cheddar.  Stir together until just mixed.  Remember, this is a "quick" bread, and the more you mess with it the more gluten is formed and the tougher your biscuits will be. 

Sprinkle your counter top with some Bisquick and turn out the dough.  At this point I like to roll and cut the dough like proper biscuits, but if you want to you can just drop large spoonfuls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet.  When all biscuits are on the sheet brush the tops with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic powder and some parmigiano cheese (you don't have to use it all).  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

When you remove them from the oven while still hot brush tops again with melted butter.  Serve.

I just noticed that Bisquick now puts a very similar recipe on the back of the box, but I like mine cheesier.  :-)

Tags: biscuits
Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: "Hallelujah" Leonard Cohen