A Birthday Toast to Margaret!

Happy Birthday to one of my dearest friends! May we share a lifetime of more happy memories together!

-xoxo Sarah

Late!

This is the conversation I had via blackberry messenger with JBradey (friend and former boss) on my way into work today, it sums up my morning commute [brackets added for your benefit]:

SY: Have I mentioned lately how much I dislike Obama?
SY: This morning he's messing with my morning commute!
JB: Hahaha, That's a perfectly valid reason to dislike him!!
SY: He's speaking at Mason about his ridiculous health plan, and since I drive past [Mason's main entrance] every day, I'm stuck in a world of traffic
SY: UHHH
SY: AND, then this ridiculous man in the car in front was making awful hand signals at the health care protestors [with pictures of Obama made to look like the Joker - pictures omitted since nephews read this], I so wanted to stand on the corner and protest with them.
JB: Hahaha What a jerk!!
JB: Let me guess - the guy in front of you has a bunch of ultra-liberal stickers on his car
SY: Just one.... Obama '08
SY: He's old and curmudgeonly [word of the week]
SY: He's on my kick in the face list... along with Obama [don't worry, that's not an actual threat, just an old JBradey saying]
JB: Love it! I'm guessing you're still not at work.
SY: Almost, FINALLY!
JB: Any chance I can use that excuse today? "Sorry I was late to work but Obama screwed up my commute!"

Happy St. Patt's!

What a great day! Not only was it fabulously beautiful outside, but it was loads of fun inside! Even my most curmudgeonly co-workers were in unusually high spirits. Maybe it was the green-loving holiday, maybe it was the beautiful weather, but whatever it was...this girl ain't complainin'!

At lunch, we were all in the bests of moods, and when the subject of Starbucks came up (which it almost always does), we decided that Starbucks should top all the drinks with green whipped cream in celebration of St. Patrick's day. Amber's brilliant interpretation:

Green Cool Whip!!

Speaking of Cool Whip, I didn't eat it for all of my childhood because my granddad always referred to it as calf's slobber. Thank the Lord I didn't grow up on a cattle farm!

Only bad thing about the green cool whip... we ended up with green teeth! Maybe it didn't look so professional, but it was oh, so tasty... and even more fun.

Yes, I'm wearing orange not green since, afterall, I am protestant, not Catholic. My eyes count as green to avoid pinching, right?! ;)

I got home on time for once, and when other plans fell through I decided the day was just too beautiful, and I was just too young to stay home on St. Pat's. So, I got in my car and headed to RiRa's in Clarendon to meet up with the crew from work for some Irish fun. ;)

Needless to say, I wasn't saying "Top of the Mornin' to ya" this morning!

What day is it?!

National Potato Chip Day!

Yup! You heard me right. A day to honor the nation's #1 selling snack food. Here's a little history on the potato chip:

"It is hard to believe that the world's most famous snack food began as a joke. Potato Chips were first made in 1853 while Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt was on vacation in New York. At one restaurant, he kept sending his fried potatoes back to the kitchen because he said they were "too thick". The chef, George Crum, decided that he would cut them into paper-thin slices, boil them in oil, fry them, and salt them as a joke to the Commodore. It backfired. They became an instant success and the restaurant was well known for them."

 - www.bmchips.com

Oddly enough though, for the most American snack food, my favorite potato chip remains in Canada. In 2002, I took my second trip to Canada, and discovered a potato chip with which no other chip can compare, at least in my mind: the Ketchup Chip. Unfortunately, it is hardly available in the US do to the lack of popularity. And trust me, I've looked in every grocery store I've been in since 2002... that's almost 8 years of searching. I found out why I can't find them today.

Apparently in Canada, ketchup is wildly popular and paired with just about everything. Yes, we Americans put ketchup on french fries, but how many of us dip our chips in them, or pour it on your omelets, or in your chicken soup. Some genius in Canada had the great idea of using ketchup's spices and ingredients to coat a tasty chip in a rich, dark red dusting that is the perfect combination of tangy and sweet. You may think that sounds and looks like a BBQ chip, but I assure you that with one crunch of the potato chip you will find a whole new, enticing flavor. 

So, ketchup is my favorite flavor, and I realize it's a little bizarre, but you should see the type of chips I found in my research this morning. Let me give you this sample of flavors that were chosen top 5 for "Walkers" new flavor in the UK in a "Do us a flavour" promotion. Crispy Duck & Hoisin, Builders Breakfast, Fish & Chips, Onion Bhaji, Chili and Chocolate, and Cajun Squirrel. Others I found: Calbee Seaweed and Salt, Wasabi, Cajun Crawtaters, Old Bay, Lobster, Ramen, Mayonnaise, and the list goes on and on.

That made me consider... if I could create a potato chip flavor, what would it be? Mine is the Formula 45 Potato Chip, with the perfect selection of Thousand Island seasonings with an extra dash of dill. 

Tell me your flavor and I'll send you a bag of ketchup chips. No joke. I'm about to place my order, so let's hear some responses!!