Three things I'm loving this week:
1. Grapes. Concord grapes to be specific. Yes, the kind that slip out of their skin and look like little eyeballs. Yummy little eyeballs — skins, seeds and all. If only the Farmer's Market were still in Griswold Plaza (sigh).
2. John Reep. I loved "Last Comic Standing" (well, at least the later episodes of the show...I don't like it when they make fun of people in auditions) and John Reep was a favorite of mine from the beginning. He ended up winning the thing and I think it's really cool that he's performing at our own Jr's Last Laugh Comedy Club this weekend (Friday and Saturday at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. each night). Tickets are less than $20...so there's no excuse not to go see this top-notch funny man.
3. Pumpkin Dip. This is the dish I bring to every gathering I'm invited to for the next two months -- it's yummy, seasonal and fairly low-fat if you serve it with low-fat graham crackers. It's also great with gingersnaps, 'nilla wafers, animal crackers and pretzels.
PUMPKIN DIP
2 c. confectioners sugar
1 (8 oz. each) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin pie filling mix
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Combine sugar and cream cheese. Beat in remaining ingredients. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Serve with gingersnaps, animal crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, etc.
Things I'm not loving this week:
1. Rain. Seriously...enough is enough. At this rate, we're going to start growing gills.
2. JcPenney's portrait studio. I've been trying to call to schedule an appt. for a week. The machine always picks it up. I left a message once or twice, they didn't call back. So, I'm thinking the family Christmas card will be a do-it-myselfer again this year. There's no excuse for poor customer service. It's the one thing that will drive women away from a store in droves (and the store management will never even know because most women don't complain to higher ups, we just never come back...and, worse, we tell all our friends).
3. The Steelers/Ravens game. The Steelers may have won, but we lost a lot on the field that night -- Frazier, Mendenhall and Simmons.