Ninjababe's Ramble

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I want to go on this!

Link via Ith

Another Recipe

Here's a recipe for a Spinach, Mushroom, and Four Cheese Lasagna.

Again, I have people at work who are going to test it out for me this weekend...

Spinach, Mushroom, and Four Cheese Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour
Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes Yield: 8 servings
1 (20-ounce) package fresh spinach, tough stems removed and washed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 pound portobello mushrooms, stems removed and sliced (about 3 large)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
15 ounces fresh ricotta
1 1/2 cups grated Fontina or provolone
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 pound lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer, pressing with a large spoon to release as much water as possible. Finely chop and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and have given off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

To make the bechamel sauce, in a large saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the nutmeg, and 1 cup of the Parmesan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, fontina, and mozzarella cheeses. Fold in 1/4 cup of the bechamel sauce.

Across the bottom of a deep-dish lasagna pan (13 by 9-inches), spoon enough bechamel sauce to cover (about 1/2 cup). Then add 1/4 of the mushrooms and sprinkle 1/4 of the spinach across. Arrange a layer of cooked noodles side-by-side across the sauce. Spread another layer of bechamel over the noodles and top with more spinach, mushrooms, and cheese. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, spinach, and cheese 2 more times, ending with noodles on top. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan over the top, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the noodles are tender and the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown on top, about 10 minutes.

Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

Episode#: EM1H09

Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Food!

I've become addicted to the Food Network. Especially Emeril Live.

It's because of him that I was forced to make rum Balls. Not only did I make rum balls, I divided the recipe into thirds and also made kahlua balls and chambord balls.

He's entertaining, he's funny, he uses lots of garlic and alcohol in his recipes. No wonder I like him!

Another show I like is Good Eats. Not only does he show you how to make something, it always has a storyline to go with it. One time, he smoked a salmon in a cardboard box while on a fishing trip because his wife paid the motel owner off so he couldn't use the kitchen at all. Another time, he showed how to make chicken broth from scratch because his sister came over with the flu and a can of soup.

And, there are other touches that crack me up. During one episode (I believe it was the broth one), he went to the appliance store and while there, he passed a display of Emeril items. He stopped, turned back to the display, picked up a brochure, and walked away reading the brochure.

Funny.

So, anyway... I may not cook much (other than Chex Mix during the winter holidays and the occasional cornbread or rum balls), but after watching the Food Network, I want to make things!

A recipe for you: No-Bake Margarita Cheesecake (just expand the post to see it)

I have some people at work who are going to test it out this weekend...

No Bake Margarita Cheesecake
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003

Recipe Summary
Yield: about 10 servings
1 1/2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup premium tequila
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or triple sec
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pretzel Crust, recipe follows
Thin lime zest strips or curls, garnish
Thin lime slices, bottom halves dipped in sugar

In a small saucepan, combine the gelatin and sugar. Add the water, stir, and cook over medium heat until the gelatin dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream, lime juice, tequila, Grand Marnier, lime zest, and salt, and beat to combine. Add the dissolved gelatin mixture and mix well. Pour into the prepared crust and chill until very firm, 3 to 4 hours.

To serve, remove the outer ring from the springform pan. Decorate the center of the cake with the zest strips and the outer edge with a border of lime slices dipped in sugar.

Cut with a thin, sharp knife dipped in hot water and serve.

Pretzel Crust:
1 1/4 cups crushed pretzels
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse the pretzels to make 3/4 cup of crumbs. Add the sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter and mix well.

Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, pressing onto the bottom and slightly up the sides. Bake until set, about 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 1 (9-inch) crust

Episode#: EM1G49

Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Beer!

I tashte like Alcohol. Heh. Heh. I taste like beer. I like beer. Buy me a beer. I'm not drunk, I can drink plenty without... What was I saying? Beer. What Flavour Are You?

[beam]

The Joys of compounding... not

There is no generic OxyContin on the market.

No, this isn't a random fact for all my millions of visitors. This does have bearing on my story.

We do all the medications for the local hospice. Hospice wants us to do as much generic dispensing as possible. As such, we compound OxyContin for them as, even with the fees for compounding, it's cheaper than brand name OxyContin.

(I've said the name of the drug three times now. Wonder how many hits I'll get just for that! (And, let's not forget spam comments) Anyway... back to the story.)

So, we're running low on one strength. That's my job today, to make 100 capsules of that strength of OxyContin.

I measure the powder and get start mixing them in the blender (It's the best way to get a uniform mix). In order to keep the powder for sticking to the sides, I had to hit the side with the handle of a spatula.

You mix the powders in bit by bit. Add a little of each powder, turn the blender on for a few seconds, add a little more of each powder.

I had about half of the powders left to pour in.

The spatula lands on the edge of the OxyContin powder tray.

OxyContin goes flying all over the counter.

Many expletives later, I've cleaned the counter and started weighing the powders again.

Now, to make capsules, we have a machine where you can put the capsule bottoms in a tray and push the powder into the bottoms. But, you have to make sure the capsule bottoms aren't too far down or they can't be pushed back together to make a full capsule.

Guess what? Yes, I had the bottoms too far down.

[sigh]

I had hoped to be able to salvage the operation by carefully pulling the bottoms out and refilling them.

No go.

They all fell through the bottom and powder went everywhere. Le sigh, le weep, le boo hoo.

Watch me contemplate throwing the contents of the whole counter, which include an incubator, blender, and everything I've used so far to make the capsules. Watch me take deep calming (and very hot) breaths (Damn the mask).

After dumping the current try, I had to dry the blender because I was being efficient and had already put it in the sink to be cleaned.

Finally, on the third time, I made the capsules!

And the crowd goes wild!

So do I, because finally, I can take off the damn powdered gloves and heavy mask and breathe!!!

Today

Today was one of K and I's 'wacky' days at work.

Usually, they happen on Friday. And, we're usually (but not always) hyper on sugar, be it from sodas or cookies...

I kept calling 'Kathleen' in a high pitched voice towards the pharmacist in the store. However, she wasn't even near me. Finally, K told me that she would have to hurt me. I still have the urge to call out.

The pharmacy accidentily sent some medication today to a deceased patient. Of course, this started a whole "She's not dead! She's resting!" bit between K and I...

Weeeeeeeeee!

And, remember, the first cut is the deepest.

Damn, I hate that song...

American Idol Tonight

It hasn't aired here in California yet, but I found out who got kicked off tonight already because I'm going out to dinner tonight.

[pout]

I liked that contestant.

For the few people who may read my blog tonight that haven't seen American Idol yet, I'll put it below under an expand link:

I liked Matthew Rogers since his audition.

When he auctioned, I was like 'eh, he's a football player'. Then, he sang. And, he sang well.

But, what clinched it for me was when he was leaving the audition and waved his acceptance sheet.

He spontaneously sang opera.

That made me go 'wow'.

(BTW: Boss at work is paying for dinner for everyone who wanted to go tonight. And, it's at my favorite Mexican restaurant! Camarones ala Diabla and Margaritas for moi tonight!)

John = Sammy?

Today, I heard "That Old Black Magic" on the radio. I thought, 'That's the red headed kid on American Idol!' I was happy that I figured out who John Stevens sounded like. During a web search on Amazon, I find a few CDs where it's Sammy Davis, Jr who sings the song.

But now, K has put my certainty into doubt. She says that multiple people in the Rat Pack have probably sung "That Old Black Magic".

So, I'll just have to pull out some old CDs and figure this out...

(BTW: Ith and I insist on calling the kid a Weasley.)

[whimper]

So, I'm showing people how Arnold Schwarzenegger looks in the movie Around the World in 80 Days (If you want to see how he looks, you'll have to view the trailer. Arnold shows up in a few places, but his big bit is about 1:45.

One of the clerks asks, "Is the movie based on a true story."

I literally whimpered. Multiple times. In fact, I was whimpering so much, K had to pat me on the back and answer the question for me.

I am way too nice...

I got a phone call today from a patient ranting about how we couldn't get his prescription over the weekend to go through insurance.

So, I fix the insurance and rerun it.

He paid cash for it yesterday, for an amount of $9.25. His copay with insurance?

$10.00

Yes, ten dollars.

So, technically, the patient owes the store 75¢.

I decided to be magnanimous and not make him pay it.

I should've told the rat bastard that unless he paid the 75¢, we wouldn't be filling anything else for him and we would tell the other pharmacies in the area that he won't pay for his medications.

Pharmacy rant: "New drug"

A new drug was just released, Symbyax.

According to Lilly, the manufacturer, it's "The FIRST and ONLY FDA-approved treatment for bipolar depression".

What is this drug?

It’s a combination of Zyprexa and Prozac.

Well, duh! Prozac is for depression and Zyprexa is for bipolar disorder!

Not only that, but the combinations cannot be reproduced by taking the drugs separately.

Zyprexa comes in 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 15mg, and 20mg.

Prozac comes in 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, and 90mg.

Symbyax is: Zyprexa either 6mg or 12mg and Prozac either 25mg or 50mg.

Very sneaky!

Also, Symbyax is a very low dose of Zyprexa with a very high dose of Prozac... Let's hope the patient doesn't have major bipolar problems because then they'll have to take yet another medication!

99% of the time, you can tell when a drug is about to go generic (or over the counter) because the drug company comes out with a 'new' drug in the same class. Both of these situations mean major revenue reductions for the company. This happened with Claritin. The company came out with Clarinex right before Claritin went over the counter (and generic!).

Prozac is currently generic, which means that Zyprexa must be going generic soon.

Which is one of the few good things about this new drug, because without insurance, brand name Zyprexa is a couple of hundred dollars a month.

Man... If only...

I figured out who I'm supporting for President:

He stands for freedom.

In the last war, against overwhelming odds, he stood firm in his beliefs and led his men to victory.

He stands for progress.

Anythings better than the last regime!

He stands for what is good in the world.

He defeated one of the greatest evils to ever walk the lands.

Vote Aragorn in 2004!

(I'm very tempted to make this a website... Or, at least a button! I'll have to work on that when I get home.)

Update: I did it!

If you want it, grab it.

Link back to this post, I guess... At least, until I actually make a page... (Oh, I am tempted!)

Compounded Cravings

Yesterday, one of the compounds I made was an antibiotic mouthwash.

Well, the first step to make the mouthwash is to make a compound of one of the ingredients. You have to turn the powdered form of the drug into a liquid.

The liquid is cherry flavored.

Then, last night, at around nine pm, I had a big craving for a cherry slurpee!

I'm blaming the compounding lab... and the heat.

We're having a heat wave! It's 75º outside right now!

Usually, this time of year, it's dark, dank, rainy, and cold.

Also, in this area, it's geographically set up where we would have maybe three days of nice weather, then the fog rolls in. Every time.

But, except this time...

Since that's the case, this area really doesn't have air conditioning.

Except the compounding lab.

Which, I'm now going up to.

[weg]

Dland Wear...

While I was in Dland last weekend, I had to get a tshirt (Too damn hot for what I was wearing, I was too lazy to go back to the hotel.)

I was looking for something white (So I could wear it to work) or something button down (So I could wear it over a white shirt to work).

Then... I found it.

It's a series of (currently) four shirts. They're baseball type shirts.

On the shirts:

1) "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all." -- Evil Queen

2) "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -- Jessica Rabbit

3) "Ladies do not start fights. But, they will finish them." -- Marie

4) "My friends must be punished." -- Lilo

I was leaning towards 3 or 4.

But, 4 is the one I bought.

It's just so perfect for me!

Went Brinching!

So, this weekend, Ith dragged me to brunch with The Bear Flag League.

Met lots of great people, ate some good food, had some mimosas, had a blast all in all...

Ith has more on it. Plus links to other attendees...

Bwahahahahaha!

I AM the Dark Lord! Hah!

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Via Ith.

Last weekend...

Gas to Dublin, CA: $20
Ticket to Return of the King: $8
Gummi Bears and Ice Cream before the show: $8
Seeing Legolas at the end of the movie on an IMAX screen: Priceless

WOOF!

Mostly, the movie on a four story screen was great. But, the battle scenes didn't transistion well to the giant screen. They were very blurry. A lot of the time, I only knew who was who by knowing their costumes.

And, seeing the cleaned up versions of Legolas and Aragorn at the end of the movie.. Again, I say Woof!

Especially Legolas in the Halls of Healing. I literally went 'woooooooo!'

Okay...

Via Ith:

Furnulum pani nolo.
"I don't want a toaster."
Generally, things (like this quiz) tend to tick you
off. You have contemplated doing grievous
bodily harm to door-to-door salesmen.


Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Junior!

So, I just took some more pictures of Junior in his new clothes.

:-) Enjoy!