No use crying over burned lasagna

So I thought that I would be adventurous and make lasagna that would be ready to eat before the new show "V" was over. I did everything right: I went to the store on Sunday to get everything, I layered the sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and lasagna noodles as the directions explained. I had the oven preheated to 375 degree, double-checked that the noodles didn't need to be boiled, and set the timer for 90 minutes. Allison opened the oven with 40 minutes left and told me to check it because it looked burned. I did, and lo and behold, it was burned to a crisp. I tried to take a bite, and was extremely disappointed to find that my labor had been in vain: it was inedible. The sauce was likely was moistened the noodles since there was no sauce in any of it, except for the top, where it was burned along with the uppermost layer of cheese. It is hard not to feel stupid when you work hard to make something delicious and you fail. :(

In better news, the pilot of V has been good so far.

Mashed Potatoes Fail

I guess I just stink at making mashed potatoes, and must come to accept it. Rather than using heavy whipping cream like several recipes online suggested, I went with milk, like my mom insisted I use the last time I made them. Again, they tasted weird. They still tasted like cream, rather than potatoes. Since milk makes me feel icky, I know that I didn't use too much. This time around, I think I let them get too soggy. They even smell funny. I just let Cait have a taste and she loves them.

Saturday Night and Trees

Since I have had ample free time, I decided to explore my culinary expertise and make things from scratch. So what did I end up making? Homemade mashed potatoes and an alcoholic beverage, an "orangesicle." Neither one turned out, but that's ok. Here is the drink recipe - I think it needs to be tweaked a little to taste delicious:

1 1/2 oz Bacardi® orange rum
1 1/2 oz cream
1/2 oz orange juice

The mashed potatoes probably would have tasted better had I used milk instead of heavy cream, which the recipe suggested I use. The texture was perfect, but they tasted like cream. It was not so delicious, so I ended up throwing out an entire pot full of potatoes. So it goes.

I think that trees are really pretty and can add a lot to a home. That's why I think that everyone who owns a home should pay $10 and become a member of the Arbor Day Foundation. When you become a member, you get 10 free trees (or you can elect to have them donated to a park), as well as a discount on their other products. All of their trees ship for $5 flat, and few trees are more than $15 (even without a membership)! They are all generally 2'-4' high when shipped. You can even give trees as wedding favors! I got a tiny pine tree back in 4th grade and now it's 5' tall!