And Now On With the Show...

Sorry for the quietness of late. As a few of you may know, I'm in a transition between jobs. Monday was my last day as a corporate middle manager of an engineering group at Company E and I've been a bit preoccupied of late trying to find a place to live M-F on the outskirts of NYC that won't cost me an arm, leg, upper torso, and LB before I start my new job as a Sr. Consultant with Company J on April 2.

I'm glad to report that yesterday I found a suitable place to rest my head at night that met 95% of my requirements and I could afford. I will be residing in a 100+ year old farm house outside of Fairfield, CT and taking the train to work. I have a gorgeous, fairly large room on the back of the house and has lots of windows to catch the breezes. There are two very friendly cats and a super friendly dog to keep me company if I desire (will make missing MBH and LB a bit easier to swallow). The room has all the things I need for the work week (bed, desk, closet, bathroom, high speed internet access and good cellphone coverage) with the exception of (are you sitting down for this?) A KITCHEN. Since the house is so old, my landlady (who is super nice) requests that the renters limit their appliances to a mini refrigerator and a microwave. Coffee pots, hot plates, and the like are "no-no's" because they could start a fire. I don't blame her, the electrical system in old houses really can be finicky.

So, the first order of business today was to purchase a Bodum thermal coffee press. I became a convert to French Press coffee last year during a few of my outings for Green LA Girl's Starbucks Challenges and since then occasionally get a French press during MBH's and my mornings at our local coffee shop. I was going to purchase a press a few months ago but decided I wouldn't take the time to make it at home. Now, it is the perfect solution to not being able to have a coffee pot and means I can take a nice hot cup of coffee on the train with me for my 45 minute trip into work.
Now, I'm on the lookout for a good microwave cookbook. Anyone have a suggestion?

p.s. As soon as I get all set with a new laptop, I'll be posting a final round up for food from our traveling correspondent who has returned from Stockholm but has been wondering if he just ate all that food he normally wouldn't have for naught...

p.p.s. I also know there are a few of you who I owe a reply to in email about things like bagel recipes, is my starter dead, and a whole wheat pizza crust. I haven't forgotten about this and I will be replying over the next day or two.