Give All To Love

There are some peeps around abouts blogspot that are self-proclaimed snoopers. In honor of them and their loverly snoopish nature, I've put together some pictures of my apartment. Some changes have occurred since I took these photos. Instead of a table behind my sofa, I have two side by side bookshelves. In addition to that, I have an entertainment center in place of the 'coffee' table that's holding my TV. Other than that ... everything else is the same.
Here are the photos:

Vanity area ... the bath is to the left and closet to the right.
Living Room
Kitchen ~ My kitchen is really tiny, I love to cook, it can be difficult in here though, because of the small size.
My boudoir, pretty cutsie.
The breakfast bar, which is normally cluttered with books and mail and empty iced tea cup containers. (I'm an iced tea fiend!)
My garden tub. I love soaking in this tub, hate cleaning it!!!

And that's where I live. YAY

A little while ago, I had mentioned (after the disappearance of houdini) that I had started chatting with another man, not too far away from me, online. He's been working really hard lately, and I hadn't been speaking to him much, he got in touch with me last night and he was terribly sweet. I realized I'd really missed him. He told me he'd be making more of an effort to get in touch with me, even though he's so busy. Isn't that just the icing on the cake? Yummy.

Oh ... I did get my hair cut yesterday ... and here's the photo of that:

Still looks the same to me. =)

ஜ~§Quote of the Day§~ஜ

Art is the objectification of feeling.
Herman Melville

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

Have you ever taken a personality test like the Myers-Briggs or Enneagram? If so, did you agree with the results? And what was your type?

I did have to take a personality test for my current employer. However, I don't recall the results. Apparently it didn't show that I was psychotic though, as they hired me.

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Obstreperous

PRONUNCIATION:
(ob-STREP-uhr-uhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Noisy or unruly.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin obstreperus (clamorous), from ob- (against) + strepere (to make a noise).

USAGE:
"One email informs me of a friend's trepidation at having to undergo a stress test as recommended by her physician. And she is not referring to the stress associated with the presence of recalcitrant children and an obstreperous spouse."

ஜ~§What I'm Reading§~ஜ

Promises in Death, JD Robb. (This is my very very very favorite series, I'll drop every other book for this series!)

ஜ~§What I'm Watching§~ஜ

Tonight is: Ugly Betty, Hell's Kitchen, ER, Burn Notice and I'll be watching Glenn Beck too.

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Give All To Love

Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good-fame,
Plans, credit, and the Muse,-
Nothing refuse.
'Tis a brave master;
Let it have scope:
Follow it utterly,
Hope beyond hope:
High and more high
It dives into noon,
With wing unspent,
Untold intent;
But it is a god,
Knows its own path,
And the outlets of the sky.
It was not for the mean;
It requireth courage stout,
Souls above doubt,
Valor unbending;
It will reward,-
They shall return
More than they were,
And ever ascending.
Leave all for love;
Yet, hear me, yet,
One word more thy heart behoved,
One pulse more of firm endeavor,-
Keep thee today,
To-morrow, forever,
Free as an Arab
Of thy beloved.
Cling with life to the maid;
But when the surprise,
First vague shadow of surmise
Flits across her bosom young
Of a joy apart from thee,
Free be she, fancy-free;
Nor thou detain her vesture's hem,
Nor the palest rose she flung
From her summer diadem.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

ஜ~§Recipe of the Day§~ஜ

For you Vegetarians out there ...
Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
2 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
Kosher salt
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup grated high quality Parmesan cheese
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

Preparation:
1 Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange one layer in the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle evenly with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. The purpose of this step is to have the eggplant release some of its moisture before cooking.

2 While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to tasted and set aside.

3 When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, wipe off the excess salt, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves.

5 Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan, and all of the remaining basil. Add remaining eggplant, and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan.

6 Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Brightest Blessings,
~S~