#1: I started laughing out loud during one of my classes today for no reason. My students were quite perplexed, as was I, because it was a serious laughing fit. Tears filled my eyes. THAT kind of laughing. And I didn’t even have my extra-special Portland Brew icy coffee beverage yet. I was in one of those mid-afternoon foggy states of being, we were trying to go over their homework, and the kids were extra chatty. It just came out of nowhere. I think I am going crazy. But I swear something was funny. I just don’t know what.

#2: I was thinking of buying the Hungry Girl 2oo Under 200: 200 recipes under 200 calories book.

I'm thinking of buying the Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 book. Any thoughts?

Has anyone read this? Somehow I wandered onto the Hungry Girl site this week, and I have been consumed with reading all their recent food finds and food news. I’m usually not into “fat-free” or “reduced fat” foods just because there are some pretty unnatural things that go in there. (Of course, I like the taste of Diet Coke better than regular, too, so yeah). Some of their recipes actually sound great. And I came across some things I already intend to try. One is the Gorton’s grilled fish (I love frozen stuff) and the FRS Health Energy supplement. They had a really good offer on a “free” trial. It’s not actually free. But I do get a free gift. Plus they have Lance Armstong on their site. And I love him. (I have a communication degree, so I know all about advertising ploys, but dang it, I want to try this stuff and I DO love Lance!)

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I will be trying the fish tonight and I will post a review for your viewing pleasures. Yes, I am aware that they probably got the fish from Taiwan or somewhere that has oodles of mercury and other crap in their water. I just don’t care anymore. I try very hard to be health conscious in many other ways. And I freaking like fish.

When the FRS arrives in the mail, I will be posting a review of it as well. I am kind of excited about it. A little natural afternoon pep-me-up that Hungry Girl approves and loves that does not require me to leave school on a Starbuck’s run is always a good thing. Plus, it’s supposed to optimize my exercising.

Oh! I also learned that healthy fiber evens out carbohydrates. That’s where “net carbs” come from. Neat!

#3: I bought a stability ball for $9 at Wal-Mart. At least I think that’s what they’re called. The Abs class at the gym is too early for me to reasonably get there after work (and the instructor doesn’t do the exercises with us). My dog, Lucy, freaked out when I used the included air foot pump to inflate the thing. It was kind of funny that she was doing this weird thing with her mouth…almost like chattering. Anyone ever heard of this? After blowing it up and bouncing around the living room, I tried some of the exercises with it. It’s way more fun than crunches, and I definitely feel it more in my whole abs region. I give it a thumbs up! The booklet that comes with it shows tons more exercises, and I can do them whilst watching American Idol. Sweet!

Twede's Cafe, the famous cafe from Twin Peaks where Agent Cooper enjoys the coffee and cherry pie.

After a long week at work, my husband and I bummed out on the couch for the better half of the afternoon watching the first episode of Twin Peaks.  We recently visited some of the places where they filmed.  We took a belated honeymoon because neither of our work schedules matched up until October 3-10.  We flew out to Seattle because we both had always wanted to go.  Most people didn’t really seem as psyched as us to be going out to the west coast.  Joe’s sister-in-law, Linda, told me about this luxurious Salish Lodge in Snoqualmie Falls which is about 25 minutes east of  Seattle in the Cascade Mountains.   I remember Linda telling me something about Twin Peaks, and I remember mentioning it to Joe to justify the pretty expensive digs of Salish Lodge since he is a huge fan of the short series.  I completely forgot about all of this…until we were driving through North Bend, another little town near Snoqualmie Falls, and we saw Twede’s Cafe and “Home of TWIN PEAKS Cherry Pie.”  Well, we had to stop, of course.  They have quite the coffee, cherry pie, and an incredible burger menu.

Did I mention that the trees and mountains in this part of the country are HUGE?  Apparently, Agent Dale Cooper (The sexy Kyle MacLachlan) was a big fan of these douglas firs as well since he mentions it at least twice in the pilot episode of Twin Peaks.  David Lynch directed the early 90′s series, and I have to say that it really lives up to his classic style although not nearly as “out there” as say, maybe, Inland Empire.

The Salish Lodge has a slightly eerie feeling, reminiscent of The Shining. The lodge and the beautiful Snoqualmie Falls are some of the first shots of the pilot episode of Twin Peaks.

One of the first scenes in the series is of the beautiful Snoqualmie waterfall.  Salish Lodge is located smack-dab next to it.  And, I want to take a moment to say that this lodge is amazing.  The entire place smells like rosemary, and the crackling fireplaces are amazing.  The rooms are spacious, and they even have a pillow menu with, oh yes, lavender pillows.   The quiet and romantic Attic Lounge overlooks the mountains and the sunset.

Seeing the lodge on the eerie television series cemented my thoughts from the sunny days we spent there.  It slightly reminds me of the lodge in The Shining.  Don’t get me wrong–the place isn’t scary.  Walking the halls just gives one the feeling of that type of lodgy movie thing.

Oh, and Northbend proved to be pretty famous as well, housing the famous cafe where Agent Cooper proclaims that the coffee is “Damn fine!”  He also has a sweet tooth for cherry pie.   It’s cold out there, and one can gather this easily from the screen shots.  Seeing all those places that we actually visited made me crave something warm and delicious.  And Twin Peaks Lasagna was born.  Joe proclaimed it was “Damn fine lasagna!”

After a day of watching Twin Peaks, Joe and I enjoy a cold weather inspired vegetarian lasagna.

Twin Peaks Lasagna

2 tbsp. EVOO
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
half a large onion, chopped
1 cup Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers® Recipe Crumbles™
1/4 cup chardonnay, eyeball it
2 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup  kalamata olives, finely chopped
1 jar Prego Traditional tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
4 Creamette Oven Ready Lasagna noodles
shredded mozzarella and parmesan
dried basil

• on medium heat, saute mushrooms, onions, and crumbles in EVOO until onions are golden brown
• poor in the chardonnay and scrape delicious stuck-on bits off pan (only if you’re using stainless steel!)
• add the garlic and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until bubbly and reduced
• add pepper and olives
• cook for another 2-3 minutes
• add prego and cook for another 5 minutes
• rinse the prego jar with the half cup water and pour into pot
• spoon mixture into 8×8 glass baking dish
• place 2 noodles , side by side, on top of this bottom layer
• spoon another layer of sauce mixture
• add liberal layer of parmesan and mozzarella, enough to fully cover sauce
• add another 2 noodles
• top with remaining sauce
• top sauce with liberal layer of parmesan and mozzarella
• sprinkle 1/4 tsp of dried basil on top of cheese
• cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes
• uncover and let stand in oven for another 5 minutes

After the lasagna has cooked (shown here), remove the cover and cook until cheese is nice and golden brown.

4 servings; perfect for a couple