If I were a man invited to see Conan, I would be this man.

Like everyone, I love flowers. Guys, I really think every gal loves being brought flowers -- if she says she doesn't, she just means she doesn't love thinking of the $ you spent. Bring something simple ... bonus points if you (legally) pick it yourself.

When we were little, my sister and I used to pick bouquets of these yellow wildflowers for Mom. We probably did that for a few years before Dad told us we were picking ragweed, to which Mom is allergic. Luckily, Lady Bird Johnson made sure Texas springs are full of plenty of other, non-allergenic varieties: Indian Paintbrushes and Black-Eyed Susans and Mexican Blankets. Just make sure you never pick a Bluebonnet within the state borders!

Luke brings me flowers often. :) These are the survivors from a Valentine's bouquet. I'm always trying to get them to last longer: changing water, trimming stems at an angle, picking out the best ones and then finally floating just the buds in a vase or coffee cup. I've heard of adding sugar for nourishment, aspirin as a preservative, or even a capful of bleach or vodka to kill bacteria. Anyone had any luck with that?

Bjarne++

We had a great time taking Scott to met Dr. Bjarne Stroustrup, author of C++ (and Luke's advisor), at a signing for the new book. The book looks great and is full of enough information to make it heavier than a Macbook ... but much lighter than our baby.

We've also been enjoying Kelly's cooking: chicken bacon bites flavored with brown sugar & chili powder! Bruschetta chicken bake! Coffee mug cakes!

And, most excitingly -- DANIEL & KAREN ARE ENGAGED!

Creative Kitchen Week results

WINS:

• Turkey bacon wrapped shrimp. Cut bacon in half lengthwise and wrap around one shrimp, a small piece of green pepper, and sweet onion. Skewer with toothpick and back at 400F for about 10 minutes. YUM!
• Seafood crepes and sauce. Sautee shrimp with sweet onion, green pepper, mushroom, spinach (whatever other veggies you have ...). Use this to fill crepes, top with white sauce or Mornay sauce (I used a powder mix and it was super).
• Roasted turnips & carrots with creamy polenta. Slice thin, add a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400F for 20 min. Thanks, Chez Panisse Cookbook!
  

HMMM:
Tofu lasagna. Basically, replace the ricotta and all other delicious cheese with crumbled tofu seasoned with basil, oregano, and garlic. You need about 32 oz of firm tofu for a 9x13 lasagna and half that for a 8x8. Works best if you let it sit a while before cooking so the tofu absorbs the tomato sauce and seasoning flavors. I'll make it again, but won't use the no-bake noodles (they just aren't right!).

LOSS:
Nopalitos. Aw, too bad, they look so great. We tried 'em boiled with a little salt (as suggested by the grocer), but they were a bit oozy and alien-like. Much better when julienned and sauteed with onion, tomato, and plenty of potato. Pretty good when eggs were added to that leftover mix and put in a taco. In the end, though, fairly expensive and not fantastic. Maybe if I have my own Prickly Pear Cactus one day ...