Blue

I learned today that I did not get the position I had interviewed for last week.  To say I am disappointed is putting it mildly.  I really wanted that job and know I could have been a success.  I'm left scratching my head.  They said I didn't have enough technical experience but they never asked me any technical questions during the interview.  I had studied and crammed for two days and not a single question.

I'm so bummed.

Chicken Parmesan

This recipe is courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten.  It turned out sooooo darned good.  You have to try it yourself!
Start with boneless skinless chicken breast halves.  Hopefully your butcher will hear you correctly when you say 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, and not hear 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Now I have TWICE the meat I intended:

 Using my favorite meat tenderizer:

I beat the heck out of the breasts:

Until I had a pile of 1/4" thick chicken breasts:

Next, seasoned flour, beaten eggs, then seasoned bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese:

Don't you love the ancient vintage Corelle dish??

Next I cooked the chicken breasts in 1 T Butter and 1 T Olive Oil -- couldn't be simpler!

I added boiled sweet potatoes and some applesauce:

 Such a yummy Sunday dinner!

Minnie Pearl

Just call me Minnie Pearl.  I got home from my job interview and shopping at Nordstrom and Macy's and decided I needed to change out of my interview clothes and into my PJs.  Know what???  When I whipped off my blouse I realized I had left my hangtag on the sleeve!  Can you believe it??  What a dope.  Thank goodness that my arms are too flabby to take my jacket off so no one at the interview ever knew!

The interview went well and I hope to hear something positive tomorrow.  Keep your fingers crossed!

One Down..

...One to Go!!  My roommate interviewed yesterday morning for a new job and got word later that afternoon that they wanted to hire him!  Hip Hip Hooray!!

That leaves just one Jones looking for a job and tomorrow I have an interview with a large company for what appears to be a great job.  Wish me luck!  I'm off to prepare.  Got new clothes, new handbag and wallet -- can't wait.

Space Bags

I used my new vacuum on some Space Bags and organized some pillows, a comforter, and finally some yarn.

Before ~~~

After ~~~

I deliberately left the shopping bag from Ewe-Nique Knits behind the bag for reference.  It's amazing how it shrinks the bag down but man, is it heavy!  Several bags ended up in the white tote container you see behind the shopping bag.  

Next, I think I'll be setting my winter sweaters aside for the season -- as long as winter is actually over!  I might be doing this with some roving too -- worried though, that the roving won't bounce back once the bag is reopened.  Any thoughts on this??

Sunday Dinner

Today I made Short Ribs with Wine & Cream for dinner for the first time.  I used yet another recipe from the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  It was incredibly easy and soooo good.  I had half the ribs required in the recipe but Ree is cooking for many more people than I am.

I started by seasoning the meat, then braised them for 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Then I removed the ribs to a plate and started working on the broth/wine mixture to cook the meat completely. The wine was strictly for the pot, not the cook.  At least not until dinner.

The Montes Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile is a super bargain at Costco.  Only $7.99 and rated 90 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Into the liquids I added 2 T of chopped Rosemary -- mmmm, so fragrant!

Add the beef back into the pot, cover and simmer for 3 hours.

Oven roast button and Baby Bella mushrooms once the three hours are up.

Next I removed the meat again, added 2 T of coarse grained mustard and 1 C of heavy cream to the wine/stock liquid.  After a few minutes of reducing, the meat was re-added to the pot and the lid placed back on it.  

Plate the mushrooms first, then the beef and top with the gravy.  Smashed potatoes complete the delicious dinner!

Super Cute Case for Eyeglasses

I discovered a tutorial for the cutest, YEP CUTEST!, eyeglass case ever.  I want to make at least one and I know you will too!  Yesterday, Melissa from the Polka Dot Chair blog posted her tutorial and I can't wait to make one.  Hop over to the Riley Blake blog for the tutorial.