A Girl Named PJ

How to reheat French fries

February 21, 2013

I’ve discovered the secret to bringing leftover French fries back to life. Want to know what it is?

First, the backstory: When my parents were in town last weekend, we wanted to go out for a steak dinner. When in Omaha, right? Since we couldn’t get reservations at my favorite restaurant for steak, The Drover, we decided to try Johnny’s Cafe, Omaha’s “original steakhouse since 1922” (with decor that hasn’t been updated since the 1950s).

The strip and ribeye steaks we ordered were tasty enough, but they couldn’t top The Drover’s whiskey steaks in terms of flavor. However, Johnny’s French fries were delicious. My family always orders our fries extra crispy (my grandpa started that trend!), but restaurants typically don’t prepare them well-done enough for us. When eating well-done fries, your dinner companions should be able to hear you chomping, and I’m telling you, the fries at Johnny’s made an audible “crunch” when I bit into them.

We packaged up our leftover fries and decided to eat them with sandwiches for dinner the next evening. To reheat French fries, we usually pop them in the toaster oven. Sometimes we’ll nuke them in the microwave first, and if we’re warming up a large batch, we might bake them in the oven. Although they warm up nicely, they’re never terribly crispy.

Eager to bring back the crunch from the previous night’s dinner, we tried something new — and it worked. If you’re reheating leftover French fries, try cooking them on the stove. Yep, the secret is that simple! We tossed the fries around in a non-stick frying pan sprayed with some Pam, although you could also use a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Voila!

It’s also worth nothing that besides French fries, Johnny’s Cafe made some outstanding Oreo cheesecake that we also enjoyed as leftovers. Is that not a thing of beauty?

PS: Curious about how my parents deal with long-distance grandparenting? Well, I interviewed my mom all about it for Lifetime Moms, and you can read it here.

An Elmo Obsession

February 20, 2013

While I was away at Alt Summit last month, Levi learned a new word — Elmo. Although we occasionally watched “Sesame Street” together, he had never shown a preference towards the furry red monster. However, my mom reported that while she was babysitting, Levi was obsessed with reading his Elmo’s World lift-the-flap books and watching Elmo on TV.

During Levi’s most recent hunger strike (he refuses to eat when he’s teething), I let him watch “Elmo’s World” on Netflix after a long, drawn-out dinner. JB was working late, and I was so exhausted from solo-parenting a cranky toddler that I couldn’t even muster up the energy to give Levi a bath or go through our normal bedtime routine.

When the “Sesame Street” segment ended, I carried Levi upstairs, changed him into his jammies, and told him it was time to go night-night. Uncharacteristically, he began throwing a fit at his bedroom door, trying to get out. As he cried, Levi performed the sign language gesture for hungry, so I picked him up and brought him back downstairs.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, Levi then asked for milk. When I handed him his sippy cup, he promptly marched with it into the living room, reached for the remote on the arm of the sofa, and turned on the TV.

“Eh-mo! Eh-mo!” he cried, waving the remote control in my direction.

I almost laughed when I realized what had just happened: Levi played me. He knew how desperate I was for him to eat, so he fake hunger to indulge in his Elmo obsession.

That little stinker.

PS: Sometimes I hear Levi saying Elmo’s name in his sleep! Isn’t that too funny?

PPS: I don’t like to buy Levi too many licensed toys (see above), but sometimes Elmo products are unavoidable — especially when you have a 19 month old.

The Shortest Home Movies

February 19, 2013

Have you heard of Vine? It’s a new social networking site from Twitter that lets you film and share 6-second looping videos. You can then post them to Vine or share them on Twitter and Facebook.

I actually find it a bit dizzying that the videos play on a loop and start automatically as soon you scroll through your Vine feed. There’s no stopping them! I also don’t really have time to engage yet another social media community (I barely attend to my Pinterest account as it is), but I have enjoyed watching a few really creative videos posted by a couple of the people I follow.

Nevertheless, the early adopter in me couldn’t resist signing up, and I’ve posted a couple of super short Levi videos like the one above, if you’d like to take a look. (Download Vine from the App Store and search for me – @bunnyanddolly)

Are you on Vine? If so, leave your username in the comments below, and I’ll check out your videos! (If not, is it because you just can’t deal with yet another social media website?)

PS: Some of my favorite non-Vine videos are of Levi feeding the dog, Levi showing off his moves, and Levi making music.

What’s in my bag: Alt Summit edition

February 15, 2013

Here’s a tip for anybody planning to attend Alt Summit or a big networking conference: Carry a small pouch* inside your tote bag or purse filled with the essentials you’ll want to find quickly and frequently. I’m talking about a small notebook and a pen to jot down reminders, lip gloss and a small mirror, mints, and your business cards.

When choosing a daytime bag, I’d recommend something large but structured. I alternated between two canvas totes that were big but seemingly bottomless, making it awkward and challenging for me find anything not secured in my smaller pouch.

There were some unbelievably creative business cards at Alt. To see what I mean, check out the round-up posts on A Ruffled Life, Donuts Dresses and Dirt, Ciera Design, and Creature Comforts. My two-sided business cards were designed by the always awesome Joy Laforme and featured a photograph of Levi and me taken by Alyson Sword. I had the cards printed by Moo and was thrilled by their high quality, thick card stock, and smooth finish. The thing I regret was waiting too long to order my business cards and paying extra for faster shipping.

PS: The photos on Bunny & Dolly’s About, As Seen On, and Sponsor pages were also taken by Alyson. We won a free session with Alyson, a fellow military spouse, at JB’s squadron holiday party last year and sat down for family photos in early December.

*You win bonus points if your daytime pouch can double as a night time clutch! I actually packed two small bags for Alt Summit’s evening parties that I never ended up using. Silly, PJ.

So, you wanna know what was in my bag?

Marc Jacobs pouch in Rose Gold | pen | C. Wonder ikat notebook (similar — on sale!) | J.Crew magic wallet (My pink one was circa 2001) | Muji plastic card case (similar) | business cards | NARS lip gloss in Easy Lover | Altoids Smalls | pocket mirror | not picture: my iPhone (oops!)

A little extra love on Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2013

Today’s planned post got dropped from the agenda after Levi was sent home from school early yesterday. Apparently, he screamed and cried with his hands in his mouth for an entire hour, prompting his teacher to call me. She thought he was probably teething but didn’t want him to stay there feeling (and acting) miserable for the remaining two hours. I could’ve popped in to give him some Advil, but I was afraid he’d be even more upset seeing me come and go without taking him with me. So, my writing was postponed until later in the day, and an unhappy Levi and I spent the morning together.

My parents are flying into Omaha today to visit for the weekend. I’m so looking forward to the company. JB has been on a “business trip” this week, so I’ve been feeling extra exhausted and lonely. He’s even missing Valentine’s Day — boohoo! I suppose we’ll just have to celebrate Cupid’s holiday by going out for a romantic dinner over the weekend. Oh, darn!

Wishing you all a day of hugs, kisses and chocolate hearts!

{Instagram photo via The Everygirl featuring West Elm mugs}