Because I'll be spending a good deal of my summer studying and practicing to become a Personal Chef, I wanted to begin a blog that was primarily focused on food and cooking.  My new blog can be found at www.randomactsofindulgence.blogspot.com.  I'll still be posting here from time to time -- mostly to update what the hubby, dogs, and I are up to on a day to day basis, but I want to use my new blog for my new challenge.  My goal is to post to each site once a week, and after awhile I'll see how I feel about maintaining two pages and make a decision from there.  Because writing is so important to me, I feel like keeping up with both will give me more options than just maintaining a single site might.  We'll see how it goes!  I hope to see all of you on my other blog as well!  Leave comments if you feel inclined!!!!:-)

I think I'm in the process of graduating to a new website/blog.  I'm really looking to get into a format that allows me to focus on food and the (fingers crossed) personal chef line of work that I'd like to get into.  I think starting fresh with a new blog might be one step in the right direction.  I think I'll still keep Voglerville going as a "family" site that I use to post photos of trips, dogs, etc. and I'll probably still use this site to  review the books I've read.  So much is up in the air right now, but I promise to keep everyone posted.  Plus, I won't be starting a new site until I come up with an amazingly fabulous name for it.  That and I have to make the decision between wordpress and blogger.  So much research ahead of me!

The new pics are of our new boxer baby Isabella.  We're calling her Izzy, and she is awesome.  She's a handful for Carter and Lucy (our Boston Terriers) and they're not sure what to make of her yet.  She has definitely reminded us of what we loved so much about having a boxer in the house.  Having Izzy is definitely bittersweet.  She reminds us so much of our girl Mac, but her fearlessness and unconditional love make it much more sweet than bitter.  I'm sure I'll have lots to add about her, so stay tuned!  And...if you're in the area, stop in for a visit!  She loves meeting new people!

So my home page pics do not match the new winter motif.  I'll get on that as soon as my camera makes its way back  from Las Vegas.  Why is my camera in Las Vegas?  you might ask...oh yeah, because my husband went there and left me here to deal with the cold.  He gets a vacation and I get to drive to and from work in the dark, cook meals for one (can't even remember the last time I had to do that), talk to two Boston Terriers who are still looking for their big sister Mac, and have to give myself daily peptalks to go to a job that I am enjoying less and less each day.  The upside of this time????  It has allowed me to relax, enjoy several tasty cups of tea and some great quiet reading time, and all of the undivided food network watching a girl could want!  I am very happy that Adam will be home tomorrow night though...I'm sick of talking to dogs who look at me like I'm nuts when I try to carry on a conversation with them. 

 

Time to read more and enjoy a spot of tea...I'll get on the photo updates soon!  I hope everyone is staying warm!

My posts have been infrequent lately.  Things here have been rough.  Our boxer, Mac, was having what we (and our vet) believed to be a particularly difficult heat cyle.  She ended up collapsing on Wednesday and being rushed to the emergency vet clinic where we found out that she had a very rare and almost always fatal heart disease that had caused a blood clot to form in one of her hind legs.  She was in excruciating pain with no real hope of recovery.  Adam and I had to make the horribly gut wrenching decision to put her down.  We are truly devastated.  Mac was such an important part of our lives and she was the first dog either of us had ever had to care for on our own.  As a couple without children, our dogs fill that spot.  Needless to say, there is an enourmous hole in both our home and our hearts and we are grieving the loss of our girl.  We're very thankful for the time we had with her, the presence of our other two dogs, Carter and Lucy, and the kind words and thoughts that others have shared with us already.  I'm working hard to get back on track, but it really does feel like the loss of a family member.  I know that grieving is a process, so we're allowing for that and will surely reemerge stronger, happy to have loved and spent great times with Mac, and ready to face the world again.

If you live in the Rochester area, I have a night of fun for you (well, a dorky night of fun, but still...)!  October 24-26 marks the return of the glorious Friends of Pittsford Library Book Sale.  This is a book lover's paradise.  They sell every kind of book you can imagine and they are cheap!  No more than 10.00 for current bestsellers.  Most books are 1.00 or less.  The books are in excellent condition.  They've been donated by a community of readers who buys books, reads them once, and drops them off at the library.  We already have a group going on the 24th, if anyone else would like to join the pack, let me know!  If you'd like to go, and want directions, or other information, drop me a line!  One last note, the money raised from these sales helps the library continue to offer the amazing free programs they put on throughout the year. 

If you're looking for the comments section that was originally on this page, it has moved!  I didn't think it was getting enough space and it was starting to be too much on the front page.  You can now find the comments section if you click on More and then click on Guestbook.  I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say!  I encourage everyone to drop a line, say hello, and give some feedback!  I'd love to hear from all who stop by!

Hi all.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm participating in an ACS Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Sunday, October 5th.  I know I'll see some of you to hit you up for a donation, but for those of you who I won't, I'd love and appreciate it if you could spare a few dollars and donate online.  If you'd like to know how to donate online, just drop me an e-mail and I'll give you the directions. 

For those of you who I don't speak to on a daily basis, I just wanted to give you my new e-mail address.  It's erinvogler@gmail.com.  I'm going to use this new address for personal e-mail from now on.  This new address is already linked to my Blackberry, so I'm ready to go and will be checking it as frequently as I did the other address.  Due to some situations that came up this summer over our school's e-mail system and its use (for the record...not because of me!:-P), it's important for me to have this alternate address to use rather than using the school's account for anything other than school business.

 

Thanks!

I know some of you have gotten in the habit of checking the site daily or almost daily, so if you've noticed a lack of activity this week it's because my life has been taken hostage by a golf tournament.  The Xerox Classic (part of the Nationwide Tour) is happening right outside my window.  Because of that, I have camper city set up in my driveway and front yard, a snow fence keeping nosy spectators away from my veggies, and dogs who are angry that so many people are walking past our windows and not coming to visit them.  On the up side, one of our friends (Thom) will be caddying this week in the tournament, so we'll get to travel the course and harass him as he's carrying someone's bag...I don't really understand the draw of caddying, but there has to be something to it!  I'll be busy hanging out with the crowd, reading when I get a chance, cooking when I need a distraction, and escaping the craziness with other diversions that I'm sure will keep me occupied so I don't scream and lose it over the fact that I have a camper in my front yard and that my life has been hijacked by a golf tournament!  I guess it really all is a matter of how you look at things...I guess it's a good thing that the sunglasses I bought this summer really do have rose colored lenses...I think I'll choose the seeing the world through those this week and enjoying the ride!

Ok, so as I mess around with everything I can do on this site, I'm loving it.  I think I'm still going to keep this latest news section on the front page and use it for just that.  Telling what's  new, what to check out (on the site) and what I've been up to.  I'll keep the entries in this section that are already here, but anything else pertaining to reading or ranting or raving will be in their respective sections.  Anything having to do with my kitchen play time will go in the forum on the In The Kitchen page.  We'll see how it all works out and changes will be made when necessary!  Also, if you're not a member of the site and want to be, just drop me an e-mail.  If you have a friend you'd like me to invite, just give me the e-mail address and I'll do it!  And as always, this site will only be fun if you comment too! 

While messing around with my page today, I figured out that clicking on "create a new page" did not, in fact, mean scrap everything you have.  It means, create a new page to add to your already fabulous (and getting very packed) front page.  Which really just means, more web space for me to mess around with that will help me continue my goal of total web domination.  Ok, so I have no desire to dominate the web, but I do want to create a site that is both nice eye candy (as far as websites about cooking, eating, reading, and being random can be) and easy to navigate.  So, here's to all that and whatever else comes out of this venture.

 

Oh yeah, and while being "manish" last night, I stayed up to watch the Red Sox dominate the Yankees AND flip back and forth to the finale of The Next Food Network Star.  Thank goodness for picture in picture -- it's incredibly useful in such situations.  I was very happy to see Aaron McCargo win!  Something about the other two drove me crazy.  And even though I'm happy that Aaron won, I wondered...when will I be the next food network star?  But even more intriguing to me is this question:  would I really want to be?  Hmmmm.... 

Wow, Erin...that's cool...you might be thinking.  But wait, you all know that I have NEVER been there. And I don't have any plans to go either. So how the heck do I love this place I've never been to???  The answer...people like Frances Mayes and Marlena De Blasi.  People who have lived there and written about it.  I'm not talking about ladies and gentlemen (although I haven't read any books about Italy by men yet) who spend time living in the cities and walking out their door to the most fabulous restaurants.  I'm talking about the brave souls who choose to live in the hill towns in the Tuscan country side...rustic living and cooking (of course) at its finest.  These writers make me feel like I've been there a million times and they make me want to keep going back.  On the plus side, travel is free. On the minus side, I'm starting to get strange looks from my husband and I think that if I keep reading books about this place and ignore all others, this obsession might get a bit out of control!  The question to roll around in our heads is, how bad can it be?  At least I'm not obsessed with creating perfect dinner parties or feng shui.  Nothing that really extends beyond the scope of my own little world.  I guess for now, I'll continue my trips to the Tuscan hill towns, but I'll avoid telling people that this summer I travelled through Tuscany...that explanation would surely bring some strange looks and eye rolls my way.

I just want to update my Wii fit activity.  This is an amazing invention.  Using a combination of Wii fit and my elliptical, I got in 5 lengthy workouts last week and after my customary two days of rest, I was ready to jump back into it last night.  This game/device offers a great deal of variety and it allows me to be competitive, even if it's with myself.  This is the facet of exercise and athletic activity that I've been missing since my college basketball days.  It's something I could use every day and never do the same workout twice.  Plus, the more I do, the more cool exercises and activities I earn.  I'm hoping Nintendo continues to put out games that are compatible with the Wii Fit balance board, because I'm hooked!  Plus...I'm down 2.2 pounds in just under a week.  How cool is that?!  If you have a friend who has it, try it out...I think this might be one of those things that gets adults and children alike off the couch and into a more healthy lifestyle.  It also makes yoga more user friendly than a traditional class.  You can try each pose that's on the menu the number of times YOU choose.  It allows you to work up to more stability, balance and confidence!  Nintendo and Wii Fit...I heart you!

Ok, so maybe I'm being ridiculous, but last night I had the WORST dining experience ever.  Adam and I decided to head to Jay's Diner for breakfast (at dinnertime...yummy!).  We were enjoying our delicious food, some good conversation, and the hustle and bustle of the diner when in walks a girl toting a guitar and her freakshow father.  What goes down next?  Oh yeah, in a virtually empty diner the host sat this circus act next to us.  Now, you might be thinking, 'what's so wrong with a guitar toting girl and her freakshow father?"  Normally, not a thing.  So where did it go bad?  She started playing the guitar and singing and it was BEYOND BAD!!!!!  It sounded like an animal dying and that may be a generous assessment of the situation.  I mean, come on!  How rude is this?  It was loud enough to the point that it put a stop to the good conversation and even started to make the food less enjoyable.  This made me want to scream and rip this girl's hair out!  In what dimension is this type of behavior acceptable?  And listen, I have no problem with live music, in fact I LOVE live music.  This, however, was not music.  This was punishment.  If we really want to punish criminals, we should put them in a cell with this hippie wannabe and make them sit there until their eardrums bleed.  Believe me, it wouldn't take long and if we publicized it enough, I think we'd see a dramatic decrease in crime rates.  Something to ponder...

It all started early -- 5:30 a.m.  I was full of anticipation needed my people (namely my parents and my step-mother's parents) to get here QUICKLY!  We were heading to my version of Mecca -- the Rochester Public Market -- for a morning of shopping or crisp fruits and veggies and enjoying the atmosphere.  This trip did not disappoint!  We filled my (old lady) market cart and even had time to sit outside one of the small coffee houses and enjoy a nice breeze and conversation while having a divine session of people watching.  THIS is what a Saturday morning should be!  We even had time to visit the European Cheese Shop at the market, quite possibly one of the happiest places on earth.  They have cheese all cut and ready for my happy sampling little mouth!  I don't know if words can really adequately show how much I loved this day, but man did it give me a great opportunity to collect some incredible ingredients so I can really do some fun cooking this week!  To top it all off, my dad got the pesky side burner on my new grill to light and now I can do all of my cooking outside on the grill and avoid the tiny pathetic apartment sized stove that sits sadly in my kitchen.  Oh someday, dear friends, I will have the kitchen I dream of.  For now, it's me, my ingredients, and my trusty Char-Broil grill.  Good times!

 

*Oh yeah, I even had time for a nap!!!  Does it get any better?

Today I took myself on a movie date and saw Mama Mia...I won't spend a ton of time talking about how great it is...just go see it, people!  It was a great movie and a fun way to beat the heat on a very hot and humid summer day.  How can you not love Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan singing ABBA songs...come on!

Yesterday was a busy one.  I set out to relax and read the book that I've been clinging to for a good week and a half now.  I can't put it down when I'm reading, but I don't want it to end so I make myself stop.  Plus, I'm really having trouble with that whole sitting still thing.  I just want to be going, going, going!  So, how did I handle it?  Well...with one of the HUGE and gorgeous from my father-in-law's garden, I made mini loaves of zucchini bread and one batch of mini chocolate chip zucchini muffins.  I even did it the old fashioned way and didn't just throw the ingredients into Mavis and let her do the work.  She had a long day making cherry jam earlier in the week and she deserved a break.  To top off zucchini fest, I made zucchini fritters as a side for dinner -- they are awesome!  In addition to that, I did get some reading done, and I also spent some time on the Wii Fit.  Not just some time, actually, try one whole hour.  It has been years since I've enjoyed a physical activity enough to spend a whole hour doing it.  Quite honestly, if they don't somehow showcase the Wii Fit on the next season of the Biggest Loser, I may have to boycott.  This invention is BRILLIANT!  All in all, a pretty good day.  Nothing crazy or extravagant, just a simple day at home doing a few fun and simple things.  Every day should be so grand!

It's true...yesterday I knocked one of the items off the list posted in the lower right hand corner.  I spent about 9 hours making cherry jam.  Before you feel any sort of pity or angst, understand that my hand in producing said jam really only included picking 9 1/2 pounds of cherries, pitting them (using the pitter purchased at the mecca of grocery shopping -- Wegmans), chopping them, and then adding them to the mixer bowl in my bread machine (aka Mavis).  From there, Mavis did all the work.  Bread machines with jam cycles are sent straight from heaven.  They're idiot proof AND they allow you to make great jam with fresh fruits and control the ingredients.  No preservatives, no other weird ingredients that you can't pronounce.  What could be better?  Cherry jam was actually my second foray into the world of using Mavis to make jam.  I've also made strawberry jam.  Both, I have to say, are WAY better than anything I could buy in a store.  Although the process was tedious, it was worth it.  I don't think I'll ever go back to buying jams and jellies from the store....I've now been spoiled by the powers of Mavis.  Thank you, Mavis...I can now cross making cherry jam off the list!!!!

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Ok, so saying I'm addicted may be both irresponsible and melodramatic, it may very well be the truth.  Wii Fit and the Wii console are brilliant.  I'm even a person who doesn't hate exercise and working out with the Wii makes it even more fun.  This might be indicative of a minor mental glitch within me, but this is absolutely fun!  I'll try to track my progress with the Wii and keep all of you posted about whether or not I continue to love it!  For now...the Wii is for me! (Yes, I rhymed it and NO I'm not ashamed!!)

I know, it sounds strange, but if you check out the attached photo, you'll see the thermometer that is the new object of my affection.  This is the Wireless Talking BBQ Thermometer from Oregon Scientific.  This thing is amazing!  It has a wireless handheld device that you can use to keep tabs on the temperature of the meat you're cooking on the grill.  No more need to walk back and forth to the grill 5000 times while cooking!  You can be in your kitchen working on the rest of the meal and it will tell you when your dinner is almost done and then done!  How crazy cool is that?!  It did take me a few minutes to get it going -- once the batteries were in I had to reset both the handheld device and the sensor, but once I figured that out (thanks to an amazon.com review of the product), I was up, running and applauding this new find!  It really might be one of the coolest gadgets I've ever found!  Plus, you can use it in the oven too!!!!  Does it get any better?

 

Tonight we used it to cook a whole chicken on the grill using one of those upright can roaster contraptions.  Many friends have been praising this cooking technique for years, and I never tried it until tonight.  I used indirect heat, seasoned up my bird, set the can of cooking liquid in the roaster and sat my bird on top and 50 minutes later I had the most succulent, delicious and aromatic roast chicken I've ever cooked!  Great night on the grill...I'll definitely be playing with both of these gadgets much more!!!!

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I doubt I'm the inventor of the snack I'm about to unveil to the world, but it's something worth sharing.  Check your cupboards...if you don't have cinnamon graham crackers, Nutella (Chocolate Hazlenut Spread -- by the peanut butter in the store), and Marshmallow Fluff, you need to rush to the store immediately!  To prepare, split one cracker (or two) spread Nutella on one side, fluff on the other, sanwich the sides and enjoy.  It is probably my new favorite thing!  It's crunchy, it's sweet and it's a flavor sensation that I've never found in any other dessert.  So good...so simple.  It's worth it to try!

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One of my favorite places to walk in Pittsford is along the Erie Canal.  Sure...it has been built up quite extensively and is pretty "touristy",  but there's still something quiet, comforting, and sometimes breathtaking about this place.  I try to get down there and walk more than once a week and I'm never disappointed by how I feel when I'm done -- whether it's a 10 minute walk or one that allows me a seemingly unlimited amount of time.  I need to remember to take my camera with me more often.  Today's pictures don't do this area justice, but I know that the more I walk, the more I'll remember to take my camera with me.  I really am lucky to live where I do and have beautiful terrain to explore whenever the mood strikes!

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As always happens in the summer, I find myself thinking I'm bored by about the second full week of my time off. The beginning of this week was rough, but now I'm working on some things to keep myself busy.  I've gotten my camera back out and today I took pictures of my flower beds and gardens so I'll know what it should look like when I think I want to add things next year.  I've also been working on making my first attempt at a veggie garden a successful one.  So far, so good, I think.  I'll continue these things and keep finding other fun activities to keep myself going!  It's time to settle into summer before it's gone!  Stay tuned for more fun pics and entries.  This site is an experiment in documenting what I do and where I go...we'll see where the journey takes me!