Counter Protector

So I bought these skimpy little "flexible cutting boards" to use at Tim's apartment so I could have my little cutting board at my dorm last year and now that I have my own real cutting boards I didn't really have a use for them. But now I've figure out a few good uses!

1. Use as a counter protector for cutting apples (and other fruits or veggies that only need a paring knife or something). Just rinse after cutting, dry and put back into place!
2. Use as a crumb catcher when making a sandwich or slicing bread (although Tim just uses the counter no matter how many times I've told him not to.. and he always makes a mess since he's a boy). When finished, just fold and wipe the crumbs into the garbage or sink.
3. Use as a place to put utensils while cooking. Tonight while I was cooking, I had to rest my tongs to stir the rice and didn't want to rest them against the pan or on the stove top, so I put them on the flexible cutting board next to the stove. I also put the wooden spoon I used to stir the sauce on there while it was simmering. After I was done cooking, I just ran a soapy sponge over it, then rinsed and dried. It was really quick clean up. And nothing stuck to it!

So that was my aha! moment for the day. Anyone else have any good uses for those flexible cutting boards?

Ok so on to my meals for the day:

Breakfast: Last cranberry muffin :( and a banana and some grapefruit juice. I sure love my grapefruit!

Snack: None

Lunch: Leftovers from last night's dinner (see previous entry). Yum! Oh and I added ketchup this time. Tasted better.

Snack: White Winter Pearmain Apple slices, and a few (more like 5) of the rolly chocolate things. The apple was good tasting, but it was very waxy and it wasn't as crisp as I like my apples.

Dinner: Pan Seared Steak with Marchand de Vin Sauce from Mastering Beef and Veal page 82. Served with Brussels Sprouts and Wild Rice Pilaf (courtesy of Rice a Roni). Covey Run 2004 Cab/Merlot used in recipe. I really liked the sauce, especially over the brussels sprouts. I didn't get the right cut of meat (well, it was the right cut, but it was thin sliced) so it wasn't exactly like the recipe. And I had to cut the sauce ingredients in half, so it wasn't perfect. But I liked it. It was a good dinner. And (not including the 1/2 hr simmering for the rice) it only took about 20 minutes to make.

Cost = ((4.06 for steak) + (1.87 for brussels sprouts) + (1.59 for rice))/2= $3.76 per serving.

Yum factor:
Me - 5/5, I really enjoyed this meal. It was simple, yet satisfying. I loved the taste of the sauce, although I could have added that extra tablespoon of butter to make it creamier, but I didn't.
Tim - 4/5 good texture, but not a whole lot of flavor (I beg to differ, since he didn't use the ladle properly and therefore got mostly shallots on his steak instead of the sauce)

Ah.. I'm tired. Did a lot of.. nothing today. Well, sorta. I slept in and didn't go to lab since I woke up with a stomach ache and figured I could skip a day since I'm a day ahead anyways. I slept till 10!! (Most days I get up at 6 and on weekends I only sleep in till 8) and then got up and made breakfast, folded laundry, emptied the dishwasher, kinda cleaned the kitchen, worked on my menu project, attemped hw, made lunch, worked more on my menu project, went to physical therapy, came home, made snack, attempted some more homework, got headache, made dinner, ate dinner, actually worked on homework, and now wrote this.

Ok off to play TF2, if Tim will let me :)

Dobrou noc!